Fate Distortion
by Lorithomar
Summary: In every 5th Holy Grail War of Fuyuki, the Sword, saved by the Killer, and tempered in the Fire, always fights for Justice, and becomes a hero through one of three ways, alongside the Knight, the Magus, or the Sister. But, what if something were to have happened? What if there was no Sword, this time?
1. Chapter 1

Fate/Distortion Prologue

 _Fuyuki City_

Kiritsugu looked up at the moon from where he sat.

It was a beautiful sight tonight, full, and blue. It reminded him of those nights from his childhood, on Alimango Island, and of Shirley, when he used to play with her on the beaches, running around for hours.

These days, as his flesh continued to weaken, and his limbs and body atrophied to little more than skin and bone, he could not do that anymore, as everything hurt; so much that trying to stand, even with help, indeed, even just moving his jaw to speak, was an exercise that was nothing short of excruciating, though he did his best to never let it show.

When he would see his reflection, when his son would help him too and from the bathroom, Kiritsugu would see, in the mirror, a face that he could barely recognize. To say that he was just a shadow of his former self would be as massive an understatement as saying that the sun was a very hot ball of fire that rose in the sky each morning.

He could hear Shirou putting away the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. It saddened Kiritsugu how much he had come to rely on his young son for everything these days. It was a burden that no young child deserved to have put upon their shoulders.

Though, perhaps that was just simply the way of the world, for sons to have to eventually care for their ailing fathers.

Shirou then came out to sit down beside him.

"You okay, dad? Do you need anything? Was your dinner alright?"

"Thank you Shirou, I'm fine. Dinner was delicious."

For a long moment, the two did nothing but stare up at the bright, full moon together where it hung in the celestial tapestry of the night sky, surrounded by stars. They reminded Kiritsugu of so many teardrops in the rain.

After a moment longer of letting silence fill the night air, Kiritsugu spoke to his son.

"You know, when I was a little boy, not much older than you are now, my deepest desire used to be that I wanted to become a Hero of Justice."

"A… hero of Justice?"

"Yes, someone who could save the world, and everyone in it."

"Wait, what do you mean, 'used to be?' Did you not want to be one anymore? Did you just give up on it?"

Kiritsugu could not help but gently smile at his son's question. "Yes… I suppose you could say that. I found out that those sort of dreams will more often than not, expire when you grow up, because, as you get older, everything becomes less black and white, and is instead just muddied shades of gray. Besides, to choose to save someone means that you have to choose not to save someone else. The sad truth is that, no matter what your intentions may be, you can only ever really save those who belong to your side.

"That, my son, is what the true definition of a Hero of Justice is. The sad truth is that you just can't save everyone. "

He then smirked, rather self-deprecatingly. "Sometimes, I wish that I had learned that particular lesson a very long time ago."

Shirou 'hmmed' for a moment at this, and then just shrugged. "I see. Well, I guess that there's just nothing you can do about that, right?"

Kiritsugu chuckled. "No, I guess not. There is absolutely nothing that I can do about it."

Shirou nodded at that. "So then, if that's really the case, and you can't carry your dream any further, then, that just means that I'll have to do it for you! I'll be a Hero of Justice in your stead, and save everyone!"

That caught Kiritsugu's attention, so much that, despite the pain, he slowly turned his head to look upon the earnest smile on his son's face with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"It's simple. Because you're an adult, you can't do it anymore. But, because I'm still a kid, I still can! Just leave it to me. I'll make that dream come true!"

Kiritsugu studied his son's smiling face for a long moment. He looked upon this young and earnest boy that he had saved, and who, in turn, had saved him, had given him hope where there had been none.

It was starting to get so very dark now. It was a struggle just to keep his eyes open.

Despite that, and despite the pain, Kiritsugu Emiya smiled again. What an earnest little boy his son was. Perhaps… perhaps he would end up being better than the foolish, old, and dying man who sat next to him.

"If that's the case, then I guess that means that I can rest easy now. Thank you, my son."

God, he still had so many regrets. He still had been unable to rescue her, his little girl, his tiny white princess.

He could see her now, just as he had last seen her, playing in the snow, with joy alight in her red eyes.

And there, next to his daughter, there _she_ was.

They were waiting for him. He was just so tired. Oddly enough, for a brief moment, nothing hurt anymore.

 _Illiya…._

 _Iri…_

* * *

Shirou looked at the moon for a long moment, and then turned to look at his father. There was a smile on the man's face.

He was not even breathing.

His father was no longer breathing, and he simply looked as if he had just fallen asleep with a gentle smile on his face.

"Dad…"

He did not cry, and he did not shake his father. All Shirou could really do was just look at his dead father, and then back up at the moon.

In that moment, what else could he do?

"It would appear that I have arrived too late."

At the sound of the voice and heavy, measured footsteps upon the ground, Shirou looked up.

He was greeted with the sight of a broad shouldered man walking up the steps of the estate, and he was very tall, with brown hair framing his shadowed face, and a small necklace of prayer beads around his neck.

The man looked at Shirou. "Or, perhaps I have arrived just in time..."

 **A/N Yes, another story. This will eventually tie in to a certain character in my other story, Blood, Obsidian, Ocean. So read, review, and enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any portion of Nasu's brainchild known as the NASUverse. If I did, I would have strongly advocated for female servants to be wearing functioning clothes and armor. For instance, I would have had Assassin of Black, who is supposed to be a prepubescent little girl, wear something that would not get me put on the sex offender's registry just by looking at it!**

 **Anyway, as I just said, read, review, and enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

Fate/ Distortion chapter 1

 _The dream started, as always, with her parents, standing before her._

 _First, there was Father, with his dignified bearing, bearded chin, immaculate red three-piece suit, and a gently teasing grin. Then, next to him was Mother, with her warm bearing, soft dress, long tresses, and gentle smile._

 _Like always, they left…_

 _She found herself in school, looking outside, as a young boy kept trying to do a high jump, over and over again._

 _He was really terrible at it, but, for some reason, he just kept trying._

 _Like always, though, she was unable to see his face, and the more she tried to get closer, the further away he seemed to get._

 _Then, he suddenly stopped, and looked like he was about to turn around…_

* * *

 _Tohsaka Residence, Morning_

There are a few things that a person can stand to wake up to in the morning; a warm sunbeam, the gentle caress of a lover, or the smell of cooked food.

What did not make that list, in the sleepy and irate mind of the bundle of blankets that rested on the four-posted bed, was the evil, irritating and grating clamor-maker that was known throughout the seven continents as an alarm clock.

The ringing drove into the interior of the skull of the bed's occupant like a jackhammer, despite the plethora of blankets that she had bundled herself in during the course of the night.

With a groan/ growl of anger, a pale hand reached out from underneath the blankets, and threw the clock to the ground. But, alas, the infernal device just kept ringing, spewing its evil and vile sound straight into her still tired brain.

"Ugh! For the love of all that's holy, just let me sleep in for a few more minutes! I was up half the night last night, so knock it off!"

Since alarm clocks, as a rule, deign never to listen to the grumblings and sleepy threats of their owners, the device kept on filling the morning air with its cacophony.

Finally, after a bit more grumbling, the mound of blankets was thrown aside, and out crawled its occupant; an elegant and pretty girl, sixteen years of age, with long brown hair, blue eyes, and dressed in a long yellow nightdress.

Of course, at the current moment, the "elegant" factor of the above description was a bit in doubt at the present moment, due to both how tangled and unruly her long brown hair was, courtesy of the previous night, as well as the rather impressive and imaginative litany of blue curses that she was currently spewing from her mouth towards the alarm clock as she crawled out of bed, and bent down to pick the noisy device up. "Stupid… ass-sucking… heartless… piece of shit machinery!"

Then, with a sigh of relief, Rin Tohsaka shut the alarm clock off, and silence once again filled the room.

Well, it seemed that sleep was no longer an option.

Rubbing her eyes, the young heiress left her room, and headed down the stairs towards her house's bathroom.

After a refreshing wash, shower, and breakfast, Rin took a moment to admire her now-ready self in the hall mirror; her hair was now done up in her customary flanking twin-tail style, and she was wearing her favorite red jacket.

She then took another moment to adjust her tie, brush away some errant strands of hair from her face, and make sure that everything else was in order.

There, now she was ready.

As she grabbed her leather-bound school case and headed towards the door, she stopped, and looked back, as if remembering one last minute detail.

"That's right, I almost forgot the pendant."

She hurried downstairs, and into a cluttered room that she let no one else into, save for her annoying guardian.

The room was filled from floor to ceiling with tomes, astronomy equipment, schematics, charts, strange apparatuses, and, most importantly, boxes of gems.

After a bit of searching, the teenager finally found the desired item, lying on the room's desk; it was an expertly cut ruby pendant, attached to a silver chain.

On the surface, it was a rather pretty and eye-catching piece of jewelry. However, if one were to take a closer look at it, said person would swear that, even in the darkness, the pendant seemed to shine with a strange and beautiful inner light.

Almost like magic.

Rin gripped the pendant tightly with a smile. "I know it's a bit silly, since it still hasn't really started just yet, but, nonetheless, it can't hurt. A girl can't be too careful, after all."

This time, she was ready to leave.

* * *

 _Homurahara Academy_

The walk to school had been rather uneventful. Though, the only odd thing had been the sight of a girl dressed in a penguin suit with the most dead-pan expression on her face, as she had been standing on a street corner with a sign, advertising the opening of a new, fairy tale themed ice-cream parlor.

Just weird.

Though there had also been the fact that the streets had been much too quiet. There had not been a single student on the street, at all.

Guess it was just one of those days.

Rin promptly put the incident out of her mind as she approached the front terrace of Homurahara Academy.

Like the streets, it was almost completely empty, save for one familiar face, which appeared to be getting a soft drink from one of the vending machines.

Ayako Mitsuzuri was currently garbed in the archery club's traditional kyūdō robes. She must have been practicing. She was the archery team's captain for a reason, after all. At times, Rin found that she admired her friend's dedication to her chosen sport.

At the sound of Rin's footsteps, the brown-haired girl looked up, and settled her amber-colored eyes upon the Tohsaka heiress with a wave and a smile. "Hey Tohsaka," she called out. "You're really early, this morning, don't ya know?"

Oh.

Well, that explained a lot.

Of course, this just meant that now, Rin felt that she had a good excuse to, when she got home, smash her alarm clock with a mallet, bury the remains, and then dance on the infernal device's grave with glee.

Ayako headed down the steps to meet the now somewhat-embarrassed Rin as she walked forwards.

"Good morning. Sure is cold this morning, isn't it?"

"Good morning, Mitsuzuri, and yes, it would seem so."

Once they were properly face-to-face, they stopped. "By the way," Rin began. "You don't happen to know what time it is, do you?"

Her friend seemed a bit perplexed at Rin's question. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I do. It's just a bit before seven. Why do you ask? Don't tell me that you came early by mistake."

"No, it's just that, well, for some reason, all the clocks in my house have all inexplicably become an hour fast, including all the wall clocks and my alarm clock, and even the one on my microwave."

"Well, that's… a little weird."

"Yeah. The really odd thing about it is that it's all by the exact same amount."

Could it have been when she had first received the pendant? It had been stored in a box made by her father, and only by solving a certain puzzle set into it had she been able to open it.

She then turned, and was greeted by the sight of Ayako leaning in and looking right at her, with her face inches away from Rin's. "Are you feeling okay? Ya got to wake up, girl!"

In response, Rin simply poked her friend's brow, making her recoil slightly. "Are you really practicing this early again?"

Ayako nodded ass she rubbed her head. Oh please, it was not like Rin had poked her that hard. "Yep. We lost another of our best cub members. He and his family decided to move to someplace that they felt was safer. So, now, I have to go try and put on a nice dog-and-pony show in the hope of attracting new members."

"Geez, guess it's hard being the captain, huh? What a load of responsibility."

Ayako sipped from her drink. "Yeah. It's a lot."

After she finished her drink, the archery captain stood up. "Well, best be getting back to it, then."

"Okay. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"Not at all."

As the pair headed off towards the archery range, Ayako suddenly smiled. "You know, since you're here so early, how about you come and watch us practice?"

"No thanks. Archery looks impressive and all, but, in all honesty, I just don't know a thing about it."

"Okay, then, how about, later this week after school, you, me, Ayaka, Kane, Yukika, and Kaede can go and try out that new ice-cream place in Miyama, the one with that cute penguin mascot? Besides, they say we should always be walking in groups at night, especially with that supposed serial killer running around."

"Sure, that would be nice." Just as long as that blank-faced girl wasn't there. It had been brief, but something about her had felt… creepy.

As they reached the archery range, Rin saw that someone was already there, no doubt waiting for Ayako. As they got closer, the Tohsaka could make out…

Purple hair, and purple eyes…

Oh.

It was she.

Sakura.

Rin suddenly felt the urge to be anywhere else. "Look, Ayako, I really should get going. I'll see you later, all right?"

"Oh, uh, sure. See you later, Rin."

As she turned around and walked away, Rin could feel _her_ eyes watching her as she left.

She quickly quashed those feelings in her chest down…

* * *

She had just made it to the front doors when an obnoxious wind seemed to blow in from the south end of a northbound horse. "Good morning Tohsaka. Fancy seeing you here so early."

… _You will restrain yourself from wringing the neck of the boy with seaweed hair… You will restrain yourself from wringing the neck of the boy with seaweed hair…_

Rin managed to collect her self, and then turned to face the source of her current aggravation, a teenager of about her age, with limp blue-purple hair that resembled seaweed, and an arrogant face that could make a person want to punch him (in said face), with a tight smile.

"Good morning, Shinji Matou. I see that you're early here today as well."

He smirked. "But of course I am. You are speaking to the team captain of the Archery club, after all."

No, he was only the vice captain, and also a complete dumbass.

She gave another tight smile. "Okay. Nice talking with you. Goodbye!"

She then turned to leave, hoping agasint hope that he would take the hint. He had made his desires towards her disgustingly clear in the past, and she soundly rejected him each and every time. Maybe, just maybe, this time he would get it.

"Huh? H-hey, wait up!"

…. And that day was not today. Seriously, could this jackass not take a hint? "What?"

That smug grin of his was already back on his face. "You know, you really should come and check out our club's morning practice. You might enjoy yourself."

"Thanks, but I have to pass. I would hate to have to get in the way of their practicing, after all."

"Oh come on, I'm sure that no one will mind."

Why was she even still talking to this creep? "Were you not just listening to me? I just told you that I'd pass! Besides, Archery does not hold much interest for me anyway."

He then had the gall to walk right up next to her. "Are you really sure? I think that you might change your mind, especially when you see how _skilled_ I am with my bow. In fact, if you want, I can give you a _private_ demonstration. Maybe even a few lessons?"

Wow. Could he be any less subtle, and any more disgusting?

 _… You will resist the urge to knee him in the groin… you will resist the urge to knee him in the groin…_

She then let out a sigh, and then turned to face him. "For the umpteenth time, Matou, just stay away from me, understand?"

She then looked him straight in his somewhat confused eye. "I am not interested in archery in any way whatsoever, and I am also much less interested in you. In fact, I only just noticed that you were even at the archery range. If you want, you can just call it an unhappy accident, as I feel quite confident that I will not be noticing you again in the future. In fact, never noticing you ever again will make probably each day feel most spectacular to me."

That made his face contort into a rage-filled thing. "What did you just say to me?!"

"Was I not clear? I can repeat it if you wish? Anyway, you really need to not shout so loudly."

He was now trembling in rage. "How dare you speak to me that way?!"

She shrugged, and then started walking away. "It's simple to talk down to trash, Shinji. Besides, you should really consider dialing it down, Mr. Self-Absorbed. If you withdrew your head from your anus every now and then, you might start to become something approaching a better person. Good day."

With that, she left the fuming boy behind.

* * *

After that refreshing put down of Shinji, Rin headed up the stairs, receiving an exuberant greeting from the ever-exuberant English teacher, Taiga Fujimura.

"Good Morning, Rin!"

"Good morning, Ms. Fujimura."

As she reached the floor that her classroom was on, she was met with another student. This one had black hair and wore glasses. At the sound of her footsteps, the boy turned around, and regarded Rin's approach with something approximating cool disdain.

"Tohsaka."

"Hello, Student Council President Issei Ryuudou. How are you, this morning? Are you actually patrolling the campus this early?"

Issei Ryuudou's eyes narrowed at her, and then he crossed his arms. "Just what do you have up your sleeve this morning? I know for a fact that you are not a member of any of our school's clubs, so what is the real reason that you are here so early?"

Why did he have to act like such a repressed jerk? She was just trying to make small talk. Still she kept a casual grin on her face as she answered. "I just felt like it. That's all. Even for you, such a question is a little rude. Any particular reason why you're acting so grumpy this morning, Issei?"

He sighed, and actually looked a bit tired. "Not that it's any of your business, Tohsaka, but things have not been the same since that strange, red-headed woman and her male companion took up residence in one of the temple's spare rooms a week ago."

The temple had new guests? "What strange, red-headed woman? Also, why are you so uptight about something like that? Doesn't Mr. Kuzuki live there as well?"

"Yes, but it's different with Mr. Kuzuki. He is austere, respectful, and quiet, thus making him the perfect tenant. She on the other hand, is loud, crass, has no regard for personal space, and she always tries to leech and mooch off of us at any given opportunity. I'm half convinced that the only real reason she is staying with us is because she's flat broke! Plus, she smokes, everywhere! It's absolutely disgusting! I still don't entirely understand why my father is letting her and her companion stay. She just does not strike me as a good person."

"And her 'male companion?'"

"He is also rather boisterous, has no real sense of hygiene or personal grooming, aside from perhaps a bath, and likes to go around without his shirt, and barefoot, all the time. Plus… he has way too many tattoos!"

That was Issei, all right, always so very judgmental.

With a small chuckle that made him grit his teeth at her, Rin walked past him and headed to class.

* * *

As Rin and the rest of Class 2-C settled into their seats as the morning bell rang, their teacher then stood up.

"Good morning, everyone. Before we start, I have an announcement to make; I would like to introduce to you a new student to our class. He has recently transferred here from Mifune City, so please, try to make him feel welcome."

A moment later, through the door walked a boy, and he walked to the center of the fronton the classroom, turned, and faced the rest of the class.

The boy was a bit tall for his age, though not too notably. His most distinctive features were his red hair, a rather muscular frame, and his eyes, which were like two flecks of amber.

He gave the class a small smile and bow with his hands clasped in front of him, and then spoke in a rather smooth, yet bland, sort of voice. Around his neck was a small necklace of prayer beads. "Hello everyone. My name is Shirou. I am happy to make your acquaintance."

It was a little weird that he gave no last name, but she did not really feel in the mood to judge him. Besides, she had more important things on her mind at the moment.

As he walked to his new seat, which just so happened to be next to Rin's, she could not but study him out of the corner of her eye.

Odd, why did he seem to be so familiar?

* * *

The rest of the school day passed without much fanfare, though, there was some buzz among the female students about the new transfer student. Of course, Rin did not pay much mind to the murmurings, even if he did seem kind of handsome….

So, after school, she was now walking home. As she did, she noticed the new student was walking alongside Sakura, no doubt to the Matou residence.

For some reason, the deadpan-faced girl in the penguin outfit was still there, still advertising for the new ice-cream parlor.

The moment she got home, Rin noticed that she had a message on her answering machine.

After looking at the flashing light for a moment, she pressed it. The automated voice filled the air. _"You have: one new message, recorded at: 3:21, PM_."

 **Beep.**

A moment later, an annoyingly familiar voice filled the room. _"Rin, it's me. As you are no doubt already aware, the deadline for entry is tomorrow. I would heavily advise that you please make up your mind and decide immediately, and not procrastinate like you usually do. There remain only two slots available, the classes of Saber, and Archer._

 _"Their masters must be chosen and registered without delay. So please, summon your servant and establish your contract as soon as possible. Though, of course, if you do not want to participate in, and win, the Holy Grail War, thereby bringing prestige back to your family name, then by all means, you can instead…"_

She clicked the off button, declining to hear the rest of the message. "Jerk. You don't have to remind me what I already know. Nor do you get to tell me what to do."

As she gripped her school bag tightly, three crimson markings began to glow on the back of her hand.

It that case, there was little else for the Second own of Fuyuki to do but get ready. She would summon a Saber, and she would blaze a path to glory, victory, and the Holy Grail, revitalizing the prestige of the Tohsaka clan.

* * *

 _Road to the Matou Residence, evening_

Sakura Matou was, by nature, a rather introverted sort of girl. Aside from a few members of the archery team, she mostly kept herself to herself. As such, she did not have very many friends, and people often avoided her, usually off-put by her overly shy attitude, and also perhaps because of Shinji.

So, one can only imagine her surprise when the new student, Shirou, had walked up to her, and softly offered to walk her home.

She had been confused, but had accepted his offer.

For some reason, he felt… familiar.

As the two walked up the road while the sun set, she turned to look at him. "Shirou?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you want to walk me home? You don't even know me."

"A few reasons. The first was because, well, after hearing the rumors of a serial killer roaming the streets, I thought it best if you did not walk home alone. You do appear to be the type of person who usually ends up walking alone, after all. The second one, to my embarrassment, is a bit more selfish; I wanted to make a new friend. Like you, I never had many friends growing up. Besides, you just seemed like a good person."

"There… there's no need to be embarrassed about that. Thank you, for walking with me. But... I don't think that I am much of a good person."

He gave her a small smile, as if not believing her, and it was one that she could not help but half-heartedly return. "So," he asked. "How long have you lived in Fuyuki City?"

"All my life. I live with my brother, Shinji and… grandfather."

He must have noticed the pause, and so did not press further. "What about you?" she then asked him.

He looked over towards the city. "My father and I only moved here about a week ago from Mifune City. We currently live in the Semina-Ogawa Apartment complex, in the Miyama district."

She had seen the building on her way to school sometimes. It looked like a lovely building. She also recalled how it had bee built soon after the Great Fire. Though, she had once heard a dreadful story regarding the building from Ayako about the ghost of Little Red Riding Hood...

When they approached the front gate of the Matou residence, Shirou rested his hands on one of the bars, and looked upon the mansion. "A very impressive home. Your family must be well off."

"Yes… they are."

Like a gentleman, he opened the gate for her, and she game him a small bow of thanks. "Thank you for walking me home, Shirou."

"It was my pleasure, Sakura. See you tomorrow, in class."

As she entered past the gate, Sakura suddenly stopped and tunred back towards him. "If… if it's not too much trouble, could you walk home with me again tomorrow, Shioru?"

He gave her another small smile, and nodded. "As I said, it would be my pleasure, Sakura."

After waving goodbye, she walked into the house. As she did, she found herself wishing that… that this boy had moved here a lot sooner, and that she had known him longer then just a day.

Maybe… maybe then, her life might have been a bit more bearable, if not a bit happier, then it was now.

* * *

When the bounded fields around the residence had alerted him that Sakura had returned from school, and in the company of a boy, no less, Zouken's curiosity had been partially piqued, and so he decided to greet the boy at the gate, once Sakura was in the house.

After all, should not a loving grandfather be allowed to take an interest in his adorable granddaughter's affairs?

Heh...

As he formed himself, and slowly strode out to the front gate, he was greeted with the sight of the boy, who seemed to be the same age as his grand children. He was a bit tall for his age, with vibrant red hair, and amber eyes. Unusual colorations for someone from this island nation, perhaps, but other than that, there was nothing overtly odd about the boy that stood out, save perhaps for the small necklace of prayer beads that he was wearing around his neck.

Zouken then spoke, letting a small grin stretch over the flesh on his face. "So, you are the one who so gallantly offered to walk my little granddaughter home this evening."

At the sound of his voice, the boy's eyes drew away from where he had been watching Sakura enter the house, and looked straight at the Matou elder as he came up to the gate.

To Zouken's slight surprise, the boy did not look embarrassed at being singled out by him. He alos did not seem slightly perturbed by Zouken's presence. Indeed, for a moment, as the youth turned to look at the magus, there was no expression on his face at all.

It was just… blank.

Then, in the next instant, a polite smile took its place, and he gave Zouken a slight blow, though his hand still held the bar of the front gate. "Of course. You must be Sakura's grandfather; please pardon me, for I did not mean to linger here at your front gate. I simply wanted to make sure that Sakura got home safely."

Zouken raised an eyebrow at that, but still kept smiling. "There is no need to apologize, young man. I find your kind manners to be refreshing in this age. May I ask your name?"

"Shirou, sir. I am a new classmate of your grandchildren."

"Oh, no surname?"

The boy shook his head. "No, I have one, but… I feel that I don't know you well enough to tell you it. I am not trying to be rude, but it is just something that my father taught me, sir."

How very odd. No matter, he could always enquire of it from Shinji or Sakura later.

Considering the conversation to be at an end, Zouken turned to leave, when the boy spoke again. "May I have your permission to walk your granddaughter home again tomorrow, sir?"

Without stopping or looking back, Zouken answered. "Of course, young man. There is no harm in doing so. You may do as you wish. Besides, what with the rumors of a serial killer going about, no one should have to walk home alone, _heh._ "

"I understand. Thank you, sir."

At that, he heard the boy turn and walk away, his footsteps fading into the approaching night. As he did, he could not help but feel a strange sense of familiarity about the boy.

Very interesting.

* * *

 _Tohsaka Residence, After Midnight_

Rin was a flurry of activity in her father's study as she haphazardly shoved aside stacks of old books, papers, scrolls, machinery, and then, with more than a bit of effort, the large, oak-and-mahogany desk from the center of the study.

Drawn into the floor was an intricate circle the color of blood.

She looked over it, and began to list off her mental checklist aloud. "Right. Preparations are now complete."

She glanced at the desk clock. It was almost two in the morning. Perfect. "Time is good, and the wavelength is ideal."

By performing the ritual to summon her Servant at two 0'clock in the morning, when her power was at it's optimal peak, Rin was more than certain that she would summon a Saber, the strongest of the Seven Holy Grail Servant classes. The fact that she did not have a catalyst did not worry her in the slightest.

What she did have was a handful of glowing gems, each filled with about a year's worth of prana. They would be enough to help start the ritual.

As the clock struck two, Rin liquified the gems in her fist, dripping the liquid onto the circle, and began to chant, as the circle started to glow….

 _Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone._

 _The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

 _The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions shall be closed, coming forth from the crown, and the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom shall be followed._

 _Shut (fill)._

 _Shut (fill)._

 _Shut (fill)._

 _Shut (fill)._

 _Shut (fill)._

 _Repeat every five times._

 _Simply, shatter once filled._

 _――――I announce._

 _Your self is under me; my fate is in your sword._

 _In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer._

 _Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead; I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead._

 _You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――_ _！_

As her chant finished, the circle suddenly glowed a vibrant and electric blue, making the whole room shake. Suddenly, just as she felt a slight pain on her hand that bore the command seals, everything exploded into a flash of light!

Once she could hear more than just a low key whining, and sight and color returned to her eyes, Rin waved away the smoke, and then, caught sight of her servant.

What she saw left her speechless.

Standing in the center of the circle was a tall, elegant, and handsome man with a fine face, skin the color of light chocolate, and dark ebony hair. She recognized the fine blue, silver, purple, and white clothes that he was wearing as an Indian achkan, and the ensemble was completed by a sweeping blue cloak that hung about his shoulders. He had a well-crafted quiver hanging on each hip, each filled with equally well-crafted arrows.

Finally, in his hands, he held a magnificent bow that was as long as he was tall, and it glowed with a fiery radiance that could only be described as divine.

Even in the dark of the study, this figure seemed to radiate a majesty that brought light to the darkened room, and no smoke or dust seemed able to even get near his perfect form.

For a moment she could not speak, her annoyance at the fact that he was obviously not a Saber warring with the even more obvious fact that he seemed to just exude pure power. He then looked right down at her, where she had fallen to the ground, with a gaze that bordered between respectful and disinterest.

"I am Servant Archer, of this Holy Grail War. It is by your summons that I have emerged from the Throne of Heroes. Tell me, are you my Master?"

* * *

 _Preview of the next chapter_

 _A certain meat processing plant in the United States_

Bazdilot Cordlion was a man and magus who preferred to not rush into things. He had always considered patience to be a virtue that one should practice at all times, especially as a high-ranking member of the Scladio Family.

As such, when he had heard that his men had finally captured the pesky magus that had been a thorn in his side for the past several months, he decided that he would take his time; for instance, he would not kill the man swiftly, but would instead be taking his time.

One piece at a time.

After all, the man who took his time, and not let things get to him, well, he could end up going quite far in life.

A few hours after he had received the call, he finally arrived at the plant, his workshop.

His men directed him to where they were holding their guest. Currently, the shirtless man was suspended and tied to one of the meat hooks on the assembly line. It looked like they had been sure to make him welcome, judging from some of the bruises on him. That was good. If you didn't make guests feel welcome, then you were being a terrible host, after all.

The guest was a man in his early thirties, at the least, with long black-green hair styled somewhere between a temple shave, and a messy half-ponytail. He was somewhat muscular, hinting at an active lifestyle, which, given his reputation, made sense.

Without much consideration, Bazdilot grabbed a fistful of the guest's hair, and yanked upwards, putting the two men face to face.

Cordlion could plainly see the hatred the guest had towards him upon his bloody and bearded face, and in his brown eye.

"Waver Velvet," the mafia magus said. "We finally meet, face to face. I hear that you have been looking for me."

 **A/N If you recognize the girl in the penguin suit, and can guess who the "strange, red-headed woman" who smokes all the time is, then good. Just keep it to yourselves for now, because, I promise you, in this Grail War… things are going to get weird, and perhaps a little terrifying.**

 **Since you probably already know who her Servant is, I will save you the trouble**

Servant: Archer

True Name: Arjuna

Master: Rin Tohsaka

 **STATS**

STR: A

END: B

AGI: B

MAN: A

LCK: A++

N.P.: EX

 **Class Skills**

Independent Action: A

Magic Resistance: C

Divinity: B

 **Personal Skills**

Clairvoyance: C+

Clairvoyance (Archer): B+

The Awarded Hero: A

Mana Burst (Flames): A

 **Noble Phantasms**

Pashupata: EX

Agni Gandiva: A


	3. Chapter 3

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 2

 _A certain meat processing plant in the United States: A while back_

Bazdilot Cordlion was a man and magus who always preferred to not rush into things. He had always considered patience to be a virtue that one should aspire to, and practice, at all times, especially as a high-ranking member of the Scladio Crime Family.

As such, when he had heard that his men had finally captured the pesky magus that had been a thorn in his side for the past several months, Cordlion decided that he would not kill the man swiftly, but would instead be taking take his time with his new guest.

One piece at a time.

After all, the man who took his time, and not let things get to him, was the sort of man who could go very far in life.

A few hours after Bazdilot had received the call, he finally arrived at the plant, his workshop.

His men directed him to where they were holding their guest. Currently, the shirtless man was suspended and tied to one of the meat hooks on the assembly line. It looked like they had been sure to make him welcome, judging from some of the bruises on his torso and face. That was good. If you didn't make guests feel as welcome as possible, then you were being a terrible host, after all.

The guest was a man in his early thirties, at the least, with long black hair styled somewhere between a temple shave, and a messy half-ponytail. He was rather muscular, hinting at a very active lifestyle, which, given his reputation, made a great deal of sense, being "The Wandering and Adventuring Teacher of the Clock Tower."

Without much consideration, Bazdilot grabbed a fistful of the guest's hair, and roughly yanked his head upwards, putting the two men face to face.

The guest's bearded face was rather worn for someone of his relative youth, as if he spent a great deal of time under the sun and open sky. His right eye stared daggers into the mafia magus' own. He had no left eye, only a mess of scar tissue, as if someone had ripped out the other orb, and rather brutally.

Despite the bruises and blood, Cordlion could plainly see the hatred the guest had towards him upon his bloody and bearded face.

"Waver Velvet," the mafia magus said. "We finally meet, face to face. I hear that you have been looking for me."

The one-eyed man glared at him. "Your brand of welcome could use a lot of work, Cordlion. I give it a failing grade."

"I thank you for that honest critique. I will take it into consideration when I next have unwanted guests snooping around where they have business being."

Cordlion stepped away, and held out his arms, as his men relieved him of his coat, and prepared his apron. This was a $700 suit after all. "Why have you been after me for so many months?" he asked

The wandering teacher's look could have killed a city. "You murdered two of my students in cold blood."

Cordlion shrugged, as his men finished their ministrations and stepped away, while he began to role up his sleeves, and put plastic gloves on his hands. He remembered the two in question; their screams had been loud. "They were in the way, and they saw too much. If it helps any, know that they did not suffer for too long."

"It doesn't, you twisted fuck," and, a moment later, the declaration was accompanied by a wad of spittle that splashed upon Cordlion's face.

As one of his men swiftly stepped forward and dabbed off the spittle with a handkerchief, Bazdilot then looked to the tray that his men had set up for him. All of the lovely implements set upon it were arranged perfectly, according to his personal system of sorting by use, make, and length.

As he lightly ran his gloved fingers over the implements, Cordlion spoke. "I understand your need for vengeance, Mister Velvet. To you, your students are your family, your children. A good father would go to almost any lengths to avenge his children. However, over the past several months, you have been a thorn in not only my side, but also in the side of _my_ family, the Scladio Family. As such, when there is a thorn in one's side…"

In a flash, Cordlion took up a scalpel, and _stabbed_ it straight into Velvet's left shoulder, eliciting a loud groan/ scream of pain from the suspended man.

"Then the best thing to do…" He twisted the scalpel slowly, 360 degees to be precise, clockwise, with a gruesome _squelch,_ all the while pushing it in. "…Is to dig deep, and then slice the flesh open …" he then slowly pulled the scalpel down, cutting through the shoulder, "… so that the offending and irritating thorn can be safely and fully removed."

He then left the scalpel stuck in the magus' shoulder. "Your demise, I'm afraid, will not be as swift as your student's. Don Scladio demands nothing less, since you have cost him a great deal of time, attention, and monetary resources. But, if it helps in any way, just know that it's nothing-"

Suddenly, the air was pierced by a loud noise; it was a cellular-phone's ringtone, William Tell's Overture, if he was not mistaken.

He, his men, and even Waver Velvet looked around in confusion for the source of the noise. It was then revealed to be the guest's phone, currently in the pocket of one of his men, Jerry, if he was not mistaken.

Jerry seemed about ready to faint when he saw Cordlion looking directly at him. The Mafia Magus could not fully recall when he had last seen a corpse so pale. Meanwhile, Velvet's phone continued to ring away in Jerry's pocket.

"Go ahead," Bazdilot said, his tone even and plain. "Answer the phone, Jerry."

The dead man was shaking so hard, it was a wonder that the device did not slip out of his grip. Everyone pointedly ignored the stench of urine that was now filling the air, courtesy of the expanding puddle at Jerry's feet.

"H-h-hello?"

The frightened expression on his face was soon joined by one of surprise. He then pulled it away from his ear. "I-it's f-for him, b-boss," he stammered, gesturing at Waver Velvet.

Interesting.

With a snap of his gloved fingers, one of his other men grabbed the phone from Jerry's hand, and handed it over to Bazdilot, while another raised his silenced pistol to the back of the now weeping Jerry's head. Meanwhile, from the other side of the phone, the faint, yet distinct, high-pitched voice of a child could be heard, inquiring for Waver Velvet.

The mafia magus looked at the cellular phone in his gloved hand for a minute with a raised eyebrow, and shrugged, while Jerry's body collapsed to the piss-soaked ground, a neat little hole now in the back of his cranium.

Cordlion then took the phone, and put it up to his guest's ear, letting the teacher nestle the device in between his head and his uninjured shoulder somewhat awkwardly.

"Yes? What? Are you serious? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now…. Yes, I know I still owe you two a great deal, but…. I'm sorry, say that again? That's impossible! It's only been ten years! Okay, okay, okay…. Fine… yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks."

Cordlion took that as a sign that the conversation was over, yanked the phone away and tossed it aside, before then proceeding to push in the scalpel two inches, eliciting another grunt of pain from the suspended teacher.

"I applaud the bravado in your words, Mr. Velvet, but you are not leaving here alive. In fact, after you have been tortured, slaughtered, and then cut up, your pieces will be ground into various sausages, which will then be shipped to every major and minor grocery store in the country. I can assure you that your meat will be consumed and digested by a variety of customers, a good deal of whom I imagine will be children.

"However, as a courtesy befitting my duties as your host, I shall grant you the chance to speak your final words."

To the mafia magus' slight surprise, Waver Velvet groaned, not in pain, but more in annoyance. Then, he actually smirked.

"Eat."

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the sound of loud snarling. Then, his men started screaming.

The last thing that Bazdilot Cordlion would ever see in this lifetime was a large, toothy maw, as it chomped down on his neck. To his credit, he did not scream even once.

So, it was true. There was nothing but dark-

* * *

Waver Velvet was, in no uncertain terms, feeling very upset. He was also feeling tired, hungry, and very sore all over. The fact that he was currently suspended on a meat hook, inside a meat-processing plant, while two large wolves were busy eating the corpse of the murderer he had been hunting, along with over a dozen other rogue magi and mafia members…. Yeah, he was very pissed.

Of course, the smell of actual piss filling the air certainly did not help his disposition either.

The two giant wolves, each almost the size of a small truck, with glowing eyes and strange symbols running across their furs, finished their meal, and then began to prowl around him, like two sharks circling their prey, with fresh blood still staining their muzzles, as they softly growled, and seemed to size him up. To anyone else, it would have been a pant-wetting, terrifying sight.

To Waver Velvet, all he saw were his legs, in their other forms, acting like idiotic and overly dramatic juveniles. "Are you two quite done playing around?"

The black one with red eyes spoke up first, in a voice that sounded like an adolescent boy's. "Oh, come on daddy, this is the first time in weeks that you're letting us stretch our legs and eat!"

Then the white one with blue eyes chimed in, with a girl's voice. "Yeah, daddy. We have rights too, ya know. It's not healthy to keep kids like us cooped up all the time."

Waver rolled his eye, and groaned. "Fine, we'll discuss it later. If it helps, then I apologize for not letting you, my legs, which I need to move around, stretch your legs. Now, can one of you please so kind as to get me down from here? I've just about lost all the feeling in my arms."

"Okay daddy." The black one then padded up to him, and reared up, putting one large paw on his shoulder, and the other on his face. Of course, it had to be the shoulder that that psychopath Cordlion had stabbed, so, as his right leg chewed through the ropes, Waver was forced to have to bite back another scream of pain.

Then, he fell to the ground, only for the white wolf, his left leg, to arrest his fall. He groaned, again. His left leg gently bore him to the floor, and then nuzzled into his side with her snout, while her brother slowly, _slowly_ pulled out the scalpel from his 'father's' shoulder with his teeth. "You okay, daddy?" the female asked, concern now alight in her voice.

With a pained sigh, he raised his hand, and patted her gently on the hand. "I will be. Thanks. How about you, are you two full?"

They both nodded enthusiastically. "Yep!" the black one said. "We're super-duper full!" "Yeah, though that mean man's circuits tasted a bity yucky."

"That's good to hear. Can you help me up, please?"

They nodded again. Then, in a flash, the wolves were gone, and Waver's legs were back in place. 10 years ago, they had been a "gift" from an evil, lazy demon, and a bored, kleptomaniac vampire. In return for them, as well as saving his life, well, they basically owned his ass.

As his wounds slowly healed, courtesy of the two beasts/demons feeding him their energy, Waver gingerly grabbed his phone from off the floor, flipped it open, and dialed a number.

One ring.

Then, he heard an answering click.

Waver cleared his throat, as he started to walk out of the plant. "Yeah, it's me. Listen, I need to get to Fuyuki, as soon as possible."

As he spoke, the one-eyed man gingerly raised up his right hand, with it's missing pinky, as three crimson seals in the shape of a hammer and thunderbolts phased into existence onto his flesh.

As they did, memories began to filter through his mind, of that horrific contest from ten years ago.

… _The dutiful knight with two swords, serving a lord who did not deserve his loyalty… the giant of a man, whose laughter had rivaled the boom of thunder, and who could survive the End itself… The distant king, with a glowing lance that could herald the End of the World, whilst mounted upon a steed of white…_

 _…The Golden man, with a terrible weapon that could make the gods quake and wail in fear, and enough arrogance to drown the world… the searing pain, as he was dragged away, while his legs were left behind… cruel fingers tearing out his eye, while the other hand gripped him tightly by the neck…_

 _…. "Do you want to be saved? If so, then make a pact with us, Waver Velvet."_

He shook his head, as if to drive the nightmarish recollections away. "Yeah, it's started again, and early… Something's definitely wrong…"

Meanwhile, as he spoke, his legs were abuzz with excitement, their voices positively joyous as they chatted in his head.

 _"Yay! We're going on a trip!" "Yummy food, here we come!"_

Waver Velvet sighed again.

* * *

 _Tohsaka Residence, after Midnight_

"I am Servant Archer, of this Holy Grail War. It is by your summons that I have emerged from the Throne of Heroes. Tell me, are you my Master?"

For one of the few times in her teenage life, so far, Rin felt… speechless.

The Heroic Servant looked upon her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you deaf, mute, or simply awestruck like a simpleton? As such, I will ask again; are you my master?"

Rin blinked, and then registered the partial insult. Despite his overwhelming presence, she still had her pride. She stood up off the floor, and looked him straight in the eye. "Y-yes! I, Rin Tohsaka, am your master in this Holy Grail War."

He looked at her for a moment longer, and then nodded. "Very well. I accept the contract between us."

She blinked again, then shook her head, and cleared her throat. "Yes, well, very good. Follow me."

Without a word, he obeyed.

He followed behind her up stairs into her living room. As they entered, Rin glanced at the room's grandfather clock.

When she saw that it read five past two, she suddenly had an embarrassing realization: She had forgotten to set all the clocks back, and thus they were all still an hour fast.

She groaned. "Damn it. It happened to me again."

"Is there something the matter, Master?"

Rin looked over her shoulder at the Archer, and briefly wondered whether she should voice the fact that she had been aiming for a Saber.

But, tact won out over impulse, and she shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Very well. Tell me then, what your orders? I am yours to command."

At least he was polite, which was an excellent start, and he seemed to know right off the bat that she would be in charge. Still, she had no idea as to who he was, and decided to rectify that. "My first order is that you reveal to me your True Name. Who were you, before your ascension to the Throne?"

He blinked, and then nodded. "Very well. I am Arjuna, son of Indra, and third of the Pandava brothers. As I said earlier, you have summoned me in the class of Archer."

When he spoke his true name, the rest of his skills and noble phantasms flowed into her 'master' vision. What she saw left her speechless, again.

Then, his name registered in her mind, and she nearly collapsed from shock and excitement. She didn't, but she almost did. As a proper magus, she had been brought up with knowledge pertaining to a variety of myths and legends, not the least of which included that of the Mahabharata, one of the two Major Sanskrit epics of India, detailing the conflict between The Pandavas, and the Kauravas, otherwise known as the Kurukshetra War.

Arjuna, the third born of the Pandava brothers, the demi-god son of the Indian God of Storms, Indra, and one of India's greatest and most powerful heroes.

His skills and stats were beyond impressive, including both his Luck Stat and the skill, Awarded Hero, that made him almost guaranteed to always get something that could help him win, as well as the fact that one of his noble phantasms seemed to have more destructive power than an atomic bomb.

The fact that he was not a Saber did not matter at all anymore. With Arjuna, in his most optimal class no less, at her side, Rin was now feeling very confident about her chances. Plus he seemed to be obedient, which was a big plus. Yes sir, she was going to win this fucking—

"Is there something the matter, Master? You've fallen silent again."

She blinked rapidly and blushed in embarrassment. "It-it's nothing. I'm just a bit tired. I think I'll retire for now."

"Very good, Master. I await your next command." At that, he vanished in a flash of blue sparks.

Yep, she felt very good about her chances. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

As she ascended to her bedroom, Rin clenched her fist. She would win, and bring honor to the name of Tohsaka, and to the memory of her Father.

* * *

 _They had locked the door, though whether it was out of habit, or fear, he could not say._

 _He supposed that it was an adequate precaution, and perhaps it would have been a good enough deterrent to any other sort of intruder._

 _Not to him, though. He did not consider such a barrier to be even a minor annoyance._

 _His steps were silent as he entered, and he located the bedrooms easily enough. As he walked up the stairs towards them, he looked about briefly at the myriad of happy, smiling pictures hanging on walls, and displayed upon the small tables. It made no difference to him._

 _As he went about his task, he made sure that the house's residents did not suffer. He was not a monster, after all._

 _After the parents, he entered the child's room. It was fast asleep, with its head turned towards to door, though it's eyes were closed._

 _He walked to the bed, and knelt down in front of the slumbering adolescent._

 _With a steady arm, he reached out, and gently placed his hand on its neck. The child stirred at his touch, but remained asleep._

 _"You will be remembered," he whispered to the child._

 _It only took one moment._

 _Once he was finished, he stood up to leave, then paused, and turned to the last living resident of the house._

 _It was an infant, no more than perhaps 3 months. It was being unusually quiet for its age, this newborn. It was swaddled in a white blanket, and a small white cap to keep its head warm._

 _He studied its slumbering face for a moment, while brief memories danced in his mind._

 _As if sensing his presence, it then began to whimper and softly cry out._

 _He considered, for a moment._

* * *

 _Tohsaka Residence, Morning_

Once again it was morning, and once again, the evil thing known as an Alarm Clock began to go about its evil and unholy task of filling Rin's room with its evil and unholy clamor.

Only this time, Rin had put a hammer on her nightstand.

One well-deserved smash later, and the room fell silent once again. Alas, it also meant that Rin was now awake, with a half-remembered dream flitting through her tired mind. On one hand, it was early morning, and it felt like she had only just gotten to bed.

Then, she looked down at her hand, and remembered the other hand. She had a Servant now! This was already starting to be a good day!

At least, it would be once she was fully awake.

With another tired groan, Rin slowly, slowly got up, and shuffled downstairs. It seemed like the summoning from last night off her than she thought, which made sense with a high-level servant like Archer. Well, at leas that A-ranked Independent Action skill of his should help to alleviate some of the strain down the road.

Once she was downstairs, she sat down upon her couch with a sigh. "Archer," she said, languidly looking about. "Where are you?"

A moment later, he materialized before her, in a flash of blue particles and sparks. "I am right here, Master. Did you have a comfortable rest?"

"Not really. I had weird dreams, and I still feel tired. Can you get me a cup of tea, please?"

"As you wish, Master."

Even to Rin's tired mind, she had to acknowledge the awkward irony of having a demi-god prince, a man who could conceivably wipe out entire armies with a wave of his hand, serve her tea.

She took a sip of the hot beverage that he gave her. It was a good brand.

Deciding to take a personal day of absence, Rin got dressed, and headed towards the Fuyuki Church as her first stop, along with an astralized Archer by her side. As much as she may have wished otherwise, she still had to register her status and her servant's existence with the Overseer.

* * *

The Fuyuki Church was a place that Rin was oft loath to go anywhere near, though it was not so much because it was a House of God, for Rin was very tolerant of other people's religious beliefs, to a certain extent, at least as long as they didn't try to shove them in her face.

No, it was because the church's sole priest, one Kirei Kotomine, a man who also happened to be her legal guardian, was an irritating, untrustworthy-seeming, and somewhat annoying asshole.

The priest was a man of above average height in his mid forties. His hair was shoulder length, and, like always, he wore a blue long coat, dark clothing, and his simple gold crucifix hung openly for all to see.

He looked at her with his brown eyes and small smile. "Hello Rin. Skipping school, I see."

He shook his head, as if disappointed, though his smile still remained. "Such feckless action truly makes me despair deeply for your future as a productive member of society."

"Quit the disingenuous crap, Mr. Fake priest. I'm here to officially register myself as a Master."

"I see. Despite that ugly frown upon your face, you seem to be almost jubilant. Does that mean you have summoned the Saber servant that you desired?"

She just glared at him a bit harder, before smirking. "No, I didn't, but I think I have someone just as better, if not more so."

Her statement actually made him raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes. Archer, you may appear now."

In a flash of blue, Archer appeared by her side, standing strong and tall and majestic.

She watched as Kirei looked at her Archer quietly, and then he nodded. "All seems to be in order, then. As the Overseer of the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fuyuki, you are now officially registered as the Master of the Archer Class. Good luck in the battles to come, Rin Tohsaka. I wish you all the best."

"You can keep your fake sympathy, fake priest. I can handle this just fine on my own. Let's go, Archer."

* * *

As the priest watched his young ward and her Archer leave the church, though, not before the Archer leveled an even look his way, Kirei chuckled. It seemed that he had slightly underestimated the prideful Tohsaka. She was so unlike her father in that regard, and yet also so similar, both in the class of their Servant's, and the fact that they trusted him.

Speaking of the former…"Your thoughts, your majesty?" He asked, seemingly to the empty church around him.

A strong and confident voice replied to his question. "They make a rather interesting pair. I even find your little ward's Servant to be slightly above passable in ability and bearing. A battle with him might be an entertaining diversion, down the road."

Materializing beside the priest was a man who bore an aura much like that of Rin's Archer, only greater, and more imposing. His short hair put the luster of the freshly shined golden necklace about his neck to shame. His very bearing went beyond that of a king's, and seemed more akin to that of a deity's. His clothes were of the finest make, hand tailored to his exact size, and the smirk upon his face seemed terrifying in its surety and confidence. He was, in a word, almost perfect.

The only real physical defect that one could point out upon the Golden man's figure was a long, jagged scar and burn mark over his left eye and the upper left side of his face, leaving the orb ruined and dead.

On most other people, it would have looked horrendously disfiguring. On this man, however, he somehow managed to make it look dignified, that it added to his overwhelming presence, instead of detracting from it, and, for the most part, he bore it proudly. Indeed, in a strange way, one could even say that the scar made him seem more majestic, as impossible as that might be.

At one time, Kirei had inquired of his friend why he not just heal the wound that Rider had inflicted upon him, and restore the use of his eye.

 _"No. How can I still call myself the King of Heroes if I cannot overcome and live with a paltry wound such as this? Besides, to do such a thing would be a great disservice to the memory of that stubborn Rider who never once backed down."_

At the time, Kirei had thought it best not to mention how Gilgamesh had torn out the left eye of Rider's Master after that battle on the bridge in a wrathful recompense; eye for an eye, in a quite literal sense.

Of course, the memory of Waver Velvet's screams of agony still brought a smile to Kirei's face every now and then.

The Golden man smirked, and looked out the main church window at the morning sky, as he lightly swirled his crimson drink around in his glass. "It would seem that many interesting players have placed themselves onto the board, Kotomine."

Kirei smirked again, as he looked down upon his hand, and at the glowing symbols etched into his flesh. "It would appear so, your majesty. This will be a most unusual and entertaining Holy Grail war, to say the least."

* * *

Rin walked the entirety of the city that day, showing the invisible Archer all the sights; Starting in Miyama for some breakfast; then to the base of Mount Enzou; and then to Shinto, and even to the newly repaired Fuyuki Bridge.

She had breakfast in Miyama, and lunch in her favorite café, Ahnenerbe. She even stopped to help a tourist, some blond kid in a sweater-vest, find his way around. As she silently showed her Archer the layout of the city, she had to admit that it had been a fun day, despite the fear that seemed to hang in the air at the moment, due to the serial killer.

There was also the fact that the weird penguin girl was there, _again_ , but that was not important.

As time passed, and the sun went down, giving way to night, Rin and Archer then found themselves on the top of one of the Shinto district's tallest buildings.

"What do you think?" Rin asked the demi-god, as she looked over the cityscape. "We can get a great view from up here. It might make a good sniper's nest."

"I think it is a suitable position, Master. I shall trust your tactical acumen."

She quickly squashed down the idea that he was mocking her, as his words sounded sincere. "Thank you."

The two stood there for a moment, letting the lights and sounds of the city at night wash about them. Then, Rin turned to the third Pandava brother. "Archer?"

"Yes, Master?"

"What do you want to wish for, if we win the Holy Grail?"

He raised an eyebrow at the question. "'If?'"

Crap! Why had she said that?! "When! I meant 'when' we win! Not 'if,' but 'when!'"

He seemed to ignore her flustered panic, and his answer came without hesitation. "My wish on the Grail would be for eternal solitude."

That… that was truly an odd wish, to say the least, and not what she had really been expecting from such an esteemed hero as Archer. "Really? Why would you wish for such a thing?"

He actually seemed hesitant for a brief moment. "It's due to a personal reason of mine, and it's one that I don't wish to discuss at the present moment."

"Okay. That's fine." No need to make him angry by being pushy about, right?

He then looked at her. "And what of you, Master? What is your deepest desire for the Grail?"

Rin shrugged. "Honestly? I don't think I have one."

That seemed to get his attention, and he turned to fully face her. "Is that really true? If you are not fighting for a wish, then what is it that you are fighting for?"

She smiled. "I'm just fighting to win. The simple fact about all of this is that I can't get the Grail unless I win. So, wasting time and energy worrying about what I would do with something that I don't yet have is stupid. But don't worry, I'm sure I can think of something to wish for once the Grail is in our hands, Archer."

He looked at her for a long moment, and then sighed. He didn't smile, but his lips seemed to move slightly upwards, and his eyes softened a bit. "You are certainly an interesting Master, Rin Tohsaka."

She decided to take that as a compliment. "Thank you. Now, I think it's time that we went home."

Later, as she and the now invisible Archer walked along the dimly streets, Rin looked up, and gasped, before ducking behind the hill.

 _"What is it?"_ Archer asked, his voice echoing through her mind.

"I played hooky from school today, and right now, I see two people who are in my class. I don't want to get in trouble if possible."

She slowly peeked over the outcropping to see the backs of Sakura Matou, and the new boy, Shirou. They were talking to a woman with bright red hair and glasses. She was dressed in a white shirt, tan slacks, and a trench coat. Dangling out of her mouth was a lit cigarette.

Was that the woman that Issei had been complaining about?

The three seemed to chat for a moment, though about what, she was unsure, for she couldn't make it out. After they appeared to have finished, they parted ways.

The woman with the cigarette walked down the hill, past Rin's hiding spot. As she did, she suddenly stopped, and looked over her shoulder at the area above Rin's head.

Did she know Rin was there?

Then, the woman smirked, and continued on, her footsteps slowly fading away.

After waiting a moment longer, Rin slowly rose from her crouch, and hurried on home. As she did, Archer then spoke. _"Master. That woman… she felt dangerous. I would be wary of her if you happen to cross paths."_

* * *

 _Hungry._

 _It needed prey._

 _It was so very hungry._

 _It had been so long since it was last let out._

 _It exulted in the feeling of the hunt, the thrill of the kill._

 _It sniffed the air, and found a ripe scent._

 _It ran, and tracked its prey down._

 _It couldn't even scream._

 _It ate well._

 _Full._

* * *

The mood in the city the next morning was rather somber as Rin walked to school, with the invisible Archer at her side once more. It had been announced in the local newspaper that Serial killer had struck again, and that, this time, the victims had been an entire family, save for an infant.

But, despite that, things still seemed to carry on as ever. As callous as the thought seemed, Rin did have bigger things on her mind, for, tonight, the Grail War would be officially starting.

It was equally somber in the school. She even saw a few students were crying.

However, when she entered onto the school grounds, she felt a dark and disgusting sensation race down her spine.

"Archer?" she whispered.

 _"I know. I feel it too. It would appear that someone has begun to set up a bounded field around your school."_

* * *

There was an announcement over the school intercom that a student here had been one of the family members murdered, and then there was a moment of silence for the dead student and their family. But, like earlier, life still slowly went on, though, also like earlier, there was a greater and palpable aura of fear in the air.

Who could be next?

* * *

Later, Rin had decided to head back from lunch to the classroom a bit early. At least, that was what she told Ayako and the others.

In truth, she instead ducked into a stairwell to go over her and Archer's next course of action.

 _"Your thoughts, Master?"_ the hero asked.

"Whoever has set this up is either extremely bold, or is simply a third-rate hack and jackass. It's sloppy work, if it can be detected by anyone else. Any magus worth their salt would not move so openly."

 _"Indeed. What do you propose we do?"_

Rin clenched her fists, and pushed off from the wall. "I don't care who is responsible for this. Anyone who dares to act so brazenly in my territory deserves retribution. We'll come back here tonight to investigate the field more closely."

The sound of falling papers, and someone hitting the ground startled her, and shook her from the conversation. Who was there?

She turned, and saw that it was the new boy, Shirou. It looked like he had been carrying a stack of papers, and had tripped on the last step. Now, he was on the floor, and papers were scattered everywhere. With a sigh, she walked over, and knelt down to assist in picking up the papers. It never hurt to help, right?

"Here, let me help you with those."

"Thank you."

The boy the realized that he was not alone, and looked up from where he was kneeling, his prayer beads gently rattling at his motion. "Oh, you're Rin Tohsaka, yes?"

"Of course. You're… Shirou, right?"

He gave a small smile. "Yes. Thank you for helping me with this."

"It's no problem. What is all this for?"

"It's for the archery club. I've started volunteering with them part time, and Vice-captain Shinji wanted these fixed. He claimed there were too many typos."

She looked over the large stack of papers. Wow, Shinji really was an asshole.

As she helped the new kid gather everything up, with the sound of his prayer beads gently clacking against each other, she looked at him again.

He really was kind of attractive…

* * *

Soon, night fell, and Rin returned to the school with an invisible Archer at her side, eager to investigate the strange bounded field surrounding the school. It had not been too much trouble dodging the police.

Throughout the school, Rin and Archer had found seven small arrays etched throughout the building and grounds, with the final on the roof, where the pair now found themselves. That one appeared to be the focal point of the entire thing.

The arrays were unlike anything Rin had seen before, and well beyond her ability to safely disable. Perhaps she was not dealing with an amateur after all.

However, she was able to decipher what the field would do when activated, and it was sickening; it would slowly break down the bodies of all humans within its boundary, and gradually drain them of their souls.

Such a thing… it could only be considered _evil_. Rin considered it to be a small blessing that the field was still inert for the moment.

But, what could she do now?

 _"Master!"_

Archer suddenly materialized before her, and then swiftly knocked an arrow to his bow, and pulled back the bow. "Come out, tresspasser. I could sense you the moment that you turned you breathed in our general direction."

A deep and worn voice chuckled. _"Heh heh heh. Guess it's true when they say about Archers. You bow-and-arrow types really do have the best senses."_ The owner of the voice then materialized a few yards in front of them, crouching on top of the school's water tower.

The Servant was tall, lean, muscular, and rangy, like some battle-worn predator that stalked the wild and untamed forest, and his gray skin was covered in scars large and small, some of which looked like scratches, burns, and bite-marks, all of which disappeared down the collar of his shirt, hinting at a hard-lived life. He was dressed in hunting armor, crafted from metal, chain, hide, straps, furs, buckles, and leather. His gray hair was long and wild, and his eyes were as blue as a wolfhound's. Around his neck was a long string of what seemed to be fangs and talons.

His armor was covered and tooled in shapes and designs of other predatory beasts, both fantastical and natural, along with a few strange items that seemed to be crafted and whittled from bones and wood and iron.

Sheathed in his belt was a large and powerful knife with a worn handle. It looked like the sort of weapon that hunters used for stabbing, and gutting their prey.

However, it was his spear, held lightly in his gloved (and clawed, Rin noted) hands, which caught the attention of Rin and Archer. It was as long as he was tall, the color of bone, fastened together with many rivets, and its tip was actually burning. Even from where she was, Rin could almost feel the heat radiating from the weapon.

There was no doubt in Rin's mind that this bestial-looking man was the Lancer-class Servant of the Holy Grail War.

The Servant of the Spear glanced over the pair of them with an appraising look in his blue eyes that somehow also managed to seem disinterestedly feral, like wolf, or a circling vulture, as it sized up it's next potential meal. Then, he stood up to his full height. "Hmm… You two are not the kind of prey that I usually prefer to hunt, but I guess you'll do in a pinch. I was almost starting to think that I would become bored this evening." he said, as he gave his spear a few twirls, trailing a tail of fire behind it.

Then, he smirked, a fanged expression full of controlled bloodlust, while his body tensed. "So, shall we begin?"

 **A/N. Read, review, and enjoy. Hope you found those two nameless point of views creepy enough. The Holly Grail War has officially begun.**


	4. Chapter 4

Fate/Distortion Chapter 3: The Players and Pieces Assemble

For a long, tense moment, nothing was said. All that the two ancient heroes did was just stare each other down, waiting and silently daring the other to make the first move. Archer's arrow was held as steady of a statue, the point aimed straight between the smirking Lancer's eyes.

Rin felt like the tension could have been cut with a butter knife. It even felt like time itself had stopped.

Which of them would dare to make the opening play?

Then, without warning, time seemed to speed up once more.

Archer let loose his arrow from the string, and it zoomed towards the enemy servant with the speed of a cruise missile.

The Lancer disappeared in a flash.

In the next moment, he slammed down his weapon in the space where Archer had just been standing. The Bowman was already flipping over the chain-link fence, with his master safely in tow, all the while the arrow that the Lancer had dodged came arcing back around.

The Lancer simply smirked…

* * *

As the Pandava prince bounded down off the side of the school and landed lightly onto the ground, a fiery explosion rocked the top of the building.

Once Rin had both feet on the ground, Arjuna swiftly knocked and sent a small valley of arrow thrumming upwards through the air, all of which were blasted away by the swiftly descending Lancer's weapon.

A final arrow flew upwards, and this time, missile and spear collided in another explosion of flame. The mass of fire and smoke hit the ground, hard.

From the smoke emerged Lancer, his spear's blazing tip thrust forward, like the horn of a charging rhino. The Pandava prince threw his bow into the air, and then twisted, grabbed the extended spear, gave a sharp pull towards him, and then stabbed an arrow swiftly drawn from his left quiver straight into Lancer's forehead, which sent the spearmen careening backwards.

He then caught his descending bow with one hand. This all happened in the span of less than three seconds.

Rin watched with bated breath. Had Archer won?

Then, the sound of Lancer's laugher echoed throughout the night. "Wow! For an Archer, you sure have some good moves. I always thought you arrow-flingers preferred to stay behind the front lines!"

The lancer walked out from the debris cloud, with the arrow still sticking out of his head, which he nonchalantly yanked out. To Rin and Archer's surprise, there was no wound.

With a grin, Lancer casually snapped the arrow like a twig. "You'll have to do better than that to pierce my skin, pretty boy!"

Once more, he dashed forward. This time, Archer dematerialized his divine bow, and, to Rin's slight shock, he rushed forward as well, his fists at the ready.

The Archer and the Lancer met in another explosion, and a flurry of blows, each too fast for the human eye to follow. A fist was blocked, and a stab forward was pushed and parried aside.

Somehow, Arjuna then managed to trap the spear in his hands. The Lancer tried in vain to tug it away, but the Archer held firm, his grip like iron.

As they struggled, the Lancer actually sniffed at the air, and grinned. "You have the scent of the divine about ya. Though, you're nothing like the demi-god that I knew, back in my day. That crazy blue-haired bastard was a hell of a lot more fun that you're being, pretty boy!"

In response, The Pandava Prince suddenly pushed back on the spear, wrenching it out of the hunter's hands and driving the weapon's butt straight in the spearman's chest, and, as the spearman stumbled backwards in shock and surprise, the Servant of the Bow momentarily sped forward, ducking around the spear, and then slammed his fist, which was wreathed in flames, into Lancer's sternum, followed up by an open and fiery palm that the bowman smashed in to his chin, wrenching Lancer's head and neck up and backwards with a sickening _crunch_.

Rin watched with bated breath as the heroes battled, their blows sounding like peals of thunder. So… this was the Holy Grail War.

How terrifying.

She watched as how, despite the power of Archer's blows sending him tumbling head over heels, the Lancer somehow managed to land on his feet, though he was now unsteadily stumbling backwards even further. That last blow should have broken his neck. If so, then how was he still standing, or even alive? He then suddenly grasped his head with both hands.

Arjuna took the moment of his opponent's disorientation to dash backwards, his bow now back in hand, with an arrow ready to fly from its shimmering string, as the enemy servant managed to right himself, even with his head flopping about.

With a push and another snap, the Servant of the Spear set his broken neck back into place, though, there were a few cracks now cobwebbing his skin.

But, set on his face was a wide smile, his fangs and teeth covered now stained red. He spat out some blood and teeth, and then chuckled. It did not escape Rin or Archer's notice that when the blood hit the ground, it began to eat into the stone with a _sizzling_ hiss. "Now that's more like it! This hunt is starting to get really interesting!"

He gestured, and his discarded spear flew into his hands, and the flame on the point began to blaze brighter.

Archer prepared for further battle as the bestial Lancer began to charge forward, flames surrounding him. The air seemed to fill with power as the Lancer began to speak a word. " **L** …"

Then, suddenly, he…. Stopped, and the power vanished. He just stopped midstride, even stumbling a bit. He then straightened and looked about, as if he were confused. "Are you serious?" he asked to the air, as if someone were speaking to him, and only the Servant of the Spear could hear them.

Archer kept his arrow at the ready, when the enemy servant _growled_ , which was followed with a resigned sigh. Whatever he seemed to have heard must not have been to his liking. He then turned to look at Rin and Archer. "Look, sorry about this, but I have to go. My master's calling. Let's fight another time, pretty boy. I promise then to hunt you until one, or both, of us is dead! Ha!"

With a final laugh, he vanished into blue mist.

As Lancer disappeared, Rin let loose a small sigh of nervous relief. Hopefully, there would not be any more battles tonight. Besides, she was starting to feel a bit worn out, no doubt from the upkeep of Arjuna's prana, even with the Independent Action skill in full effect.

"Tohsaka?"

Her head shot up at the voice and turned to see the new kid, Shirou, standing in the doorway, an expression of wary confusion on his face at what he had just witnessed.

Crap.

* * *

Mumbling angrily to himself, Lancer materialized inside the apartment building that his Master had rented for the duration of the War. He saw her, standing by the window, looking out over the city. Feeling deservedly irate, he alked over to her.

"Why did you call me back so quickly? That battle was starting to get good! I had my prey right where I wanted them."

Bazett gestured outside, and then to him, and the cobweb cracks over his face, which were already swiftly healing. "It's getting light outside. Can't afford anyone to see you. Too many witnesses. Besides, he wounded you. You were being too reckless. Can't let anyone… Gotta keep this secret… Can't let them know… Too many…."

The sun had actually set only two hours ago, but the Servant of the spear doing not to mention that. Lancer instead just looked over his Master, at the bags under her eyes, and at her unkempt maroon hair, and at the ashtray full of spent cigarette butts on the kitchen table, as well as the one that she clutched tightly in her fingers. Her command seals, in the shape of a snarling dog head, were glowing dully.

When he spoke again, his tone was kinder. "Master? Are you alright? When was the last time that you slept?"

She quickly waved off his concern, though he noticed that her hands were slightly shaking. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it, I'm fine. But, you know what, I think that I'll go lie down for a bit, but just for a bit. Just, go back into spirit form, and head out into the city in about an hour. Gotta keep a lookout. Can't let anyone catch us off guard…. this is real... it is..."

She obviously did not seem well, but the Lancer decided not to press the point at the current moment.

She had seemed so much more confident when he had answered her summoning, over a week ago.

With a sigh, he obeyed her command, fading into blue mist. At least he had gotten a good fight out of the night. Hopefully, he could find another good hunt during this War.

* * *

For a long moment, Rin and Archer did nothing but stare at the red-haired boy, who stared back at them with wide amber eyes.

Then, he slowly turned around, and started to run back into the school building.

However, as fast as he was, Archer was faster, and, a moment later, the Son of Indra was carrying/ dragging the struggling teen back to Rin, setting him in front of her with a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.

She was not looking forward to this next part, but the Holy Grail War had to remain secret.

With a sigh, she stood right in front of him, and stared into his eyes, as her circuits briefly flashed, and her eyes softly glowed.

"You are going to remember none of this. You are going to go home, and wake up the next morning, and have no memory of the fight between Lancers and Archer. Nothing strange happened tonight, at all."

Shirou stared at her blankly for a moment, and then blinked in confusion. "What are you trying to do?"

…What?

Why hadn't the hypnotism worked?

She tried two more times, and it seemed to only make him more confused… why was he blushing?

She was not starting to get annoyed and tried to grab at the prayer beads around his neck. "How can you resist a hypnotism? Is it these? Is this necklace some sort of Mystic Code?"

"H-hey! Stop it. Don't touch those!"

He managed to wrest the necklace away from her hands. "What are you even doing here? How are you not hypnotized? Are you involved in the Holy Grail War?" she asked him, again.

"Holy Grail?... I don't know what you're talking about. I was only here because I had accidentally left my schoolwork here when I was walking Sakura home. When I get back here, I heard several loud explosions, and then I see you, this man, and some other person fighting! What is going on?"

Rin looked at him and then groaned. She was really not looking forward to what she had to do next. "Just come on. I need to take you to see someone."

Before he could utter a word of protest, Rin grabbed at his sleeve, and began to pull him along, trusting that Archer's presence would discourage the boy from trying to make a run for it.

"Where are you taking me?" Shirou asked.

"To church. You need to talk to an annoying priest."

* * *

Ayako was beginning to rethink her decision to walk home alone.

After school, she and the others had gone to get ice cream at the new place. After a fun hour of ice-cream and laughter, they had all then went their separate ways.

Just her luck that it then started to rain. Why did her family have to live so far away from the school?

As she drew her coat tighter around herself, she decided to take a shortcut. It may not have been the best idea, what with evening already giving way to early night, and the fact that there was a serial killer about, Ayako decided to chance it. Anything to keep herself from being in the rain longer then needed.

As she turned into the allyway, she felt someone suddnely grab her, and then… everything started to go numb.

As she felt herself go limp, and her mind go blank, she wished that she had not gone walking home alone….

* * *

Flat Escardos was feeling fully ecstatic!

Fuyuki City was just like his teacher had described. Every moment that he had spent here since leaving the airport had been simply amazing.

Some nice girl with blue eyes, red clothes, and long hair had even been kind enough to give him directions!

Now, after a nice Italian dinner at some cool café with an unpronounceable name, Flat had decided to wander about a bit more, despite the local papers saying something about a serial killer, and despite the rain starting to pour down.

Besides, 'it' was telling him that exciting things still had yet to happen, and that they would happen only if he took one last walk tonight. So, of course, Flat decided to follow 'it's' lead, since 'it' had not once steered him wrong before.

So, as he walked along the dimly lit streets, rain gently thumping off of the umbrella that he had gotten in the airport, he was happy.

Suddenly, 'it' told him to turn down the alley on his right. When he did, he saw a girl, dressed in a local school uniform. Her back was to him.

She then slowly turned towards the blonde boy, and he saw that her eyes were… blank. A moment, later, she seemed to… float off of the ground.

Then, Flat blinked, and he saw what seemed to be some weirdo dressed in Russian armor sucking on a girl's neck, while the girl softly moaned. The weirdo had short black hair, and what looked like scales on his skin, and his armor was comprised of overlapping metal scales, chain, furs, and padded leather.

Oh no, was this guy a vampire? Master Velvet had always said that if you saw a vampire, you should run the other way as fast as you could!

Or was this just some weird sex thing? If so, then Flat would not judge, and instead just turn around and walk away, and then later have a nice long talk with 'it' about boundaries and voyeurism.

"What's this? It looks like someone has wandered where he shouldn't have."

The voice belonged to a boy with hair that looked like seaweed, and he was dressed in expensive looking clothes. In his hands he held a small, leather-bound book.

Flat looked at the boy, at the three red markings on the book's tan cover, and then he looked back at the knight, who had stopped sucking at the girl's neck, and was now also looking at the blond boy with mismatched reptilian eyes, one red, and one gold. Then, everything clicked inside his head, and Flat snapped his fingers in realization. "Oh, I get it now! You're just having your Servant devour that girl's blood and soul to sustain his existence, because you obviously have very poor prana reserves!"

Seaweed head put on an angry face at that statement. "So, you know about the Holy Grail War, huh?"

Flat nodded happily, not at all registering the threat in the boy's voice. "Yep, I do! I even have command seals!" As he said this, he lifted up his hand to reveal the seals, which were in the shape of a strange eye-and-starburst design. "I'm happy to meet another Master, even if you don't seem to be very nice."

The boy with seaweed hair smirked. "You know what, you're right. Here you are, all alone, and without a Servant to protect you. Where are my manners?" He then pointed at Flat. "Kill him and devour his soul, Rider! Then bring me his command seals!"

With a grunt that might have been displeasure, the scaly man let the girl in his hands fall to the ground, and drew a large axe from his belt, and an equally large kite shield from across his back. Then, he charged forward, his weapon raised high, ready to sever Flat's head from his neck.

If the seaweed headed boy had been actually paying attention, however, then he would have notice how Flat was not really frightened at the sight of his impending doom, or even instinctively flinching. A moment later, with a loud clang, it was revealed why.

The weapon that was suddenly blocking the large battle-axe seemed to be a sword. Only, instead of metal, its blade appeared to be forged from several solid rays of different colors, while its hilt was crafted from iron and wires and other strange machinery.

The sword's wielder then materialized into view, to reveal that it was a woman, thin of stature, and beautiful, in a strange, distant, and ethereal way. Her skin was the color of caramel, and white lines traced across her body in strange and arcane designs. Her head bore a long, diaphanous veil that seemed to almost blend together with her white hair. Her very being radiated otherworldliness.

With crimson eyes, this swordswoman looked upon the strange knight. "You will not harm one hair of my master's head, Servant of the Mount," she said, in lilting and husky voice. "I will kill you where you stand."

With an actual growl, the Rider leapt back, and readied himself for another bout, his axe and shield raised and readied. "You firssst, sssswordssswoman" he said, in a peculiar accent, hissing as he did so.

The boy with seaweed hair smirked and held up the small tome in his hand, which began to glow with a strange red and purple light. "Hahaha! Now, this game is getting more serious! I've always wanted to see a real battle between Servants! Rider, go and cut her head off! Witness my power as a magus and Master of the Matou Bloodline!"

Rider darted forward, a fiery light licking along the edge of his axe, and in his eyes.

The Servant of the Sword did not balk, or even blink.

In the next moment, the wall behind the boy with the seaweed hair exploded into debris as the now flying Rider collided with it.

It was like the Saber had not even moved.

* * *

Shinji was not sure what had happened. So, for a moment, he just stood silently for a moment, hand and book still extended, and still grinning a triumphant grin, while the blond-haired boy looked confused

Then, Shinji's brain finally registered what had just happened, and turned to the downed Servant of the Mount, who was now softly groaning and hissing in pain.

The boy looked at his downed servant for a moment. "Get up."

The stupid Rider did not verbally respond, and instead just hissed and glared at him. "I said get up."

The boy then began to shake in rage at his Servant's continued inaction and started to kick at him. "Are you deaf, you stupid, defective, lizard of a Servant? I said get. The. Fuck. UP!"

He then held up the Book of False Attendant. "By the Power of my Command Seal, I order you to stand up, you useless Servant!"

The book glowed brightly, and then burst into flames, making Shinji drop it in both pain and surprise.

No, no, no!

With something that could have been a smile on his face, the Rider dissipated into red dust.

As Shinji tried in vain to salvage the now destroyed and greasy remains of the book, he then looked up, and saw the enemy Master and his Saber just… looking at him.

The Saber took a single step forward, and Shinji was already running out of the alleyway, screaming his head off.

Damn that stupid Saber, and her stupid Master, with his stupid grin! Damn that useless Rider! Damn his sister!

Suddenly, Shinji felt the side of a cane slam into his stomach, wrenching him off of his feet, and making him crumble to the ground. Through the jarring pain, Shinji looked up, and his eyes widened in fear at the sight of the person before him.

"Good evening, Shinji," said Zouken Matou. Next to him stood Rider.

As his grandfather looked down on him, Shinji absently felt something wet and warm begin to stain the front of his pants.

"You and I need to have a discussion," the Matou patriarch said.

* * *

Flat was now feeling kind of torn. On the one hand, Saber was simply awesome! He had only summoned her today, and already she was just so freaking cool! Though, on the other hand, he felt kind of bad that Saber had to hurt that Rider.

"Should I pursue him, Master?" she asked.

"Nah. I think we should just call it a night. I don't really want to kill anyone right now. You were awesome, Saber. Super cool!"

"Thank you master." This time, she dissipated as well, in a shower of rainbow sparks.

With a happy nod, Flat turned around, and started to leave the alleyway. He was starting to feel a bit sleepy now.

Wait, why did it seem like he was forgetting something… Oh crap! The girl!

Flat quickly turned back and ran to the comatose girl. "Hey, are you okay?!"

* * *

Rin hated going to Fuyuki Church during the day. As such, she really hatted going there at night. It then struck her how ironic it was that, despite disliking the place, and its occupant, with a passion, she still had to go there.

As ever, the fake priest was at the altar, gently leafing through his bible. No doubt planning another terrible Sunday Service.

He turned and smiled at her, though his eyebrow did raise a bit at the sight of Shirou, who she was currently dragging along behind her by his sleeve. "Good evening, Rin. Your servant's fight with the Lancer Servant was a treat to watch. However, may I enquire as to who this young man with you is? You do know that no outsiders are allowed knowledge about the Grail War, correct?"

Kirei then seemed to notice the prayer beads around Shirou's neck. "He's also a Buddhist? Are you thinking of converting, Rin? If so, then I will lament most greatly for your lost soul."

Rin gritted her teeth. "Cut the crap, Kirei. We have an issue. Shirou here saw the battle between Archer and Lancer."

"I surmised as much, so why have you not taken the necessary steps, and erased his memeories?"

Rin ignored the horrified expression on Shirou's face. "It's because my hypnosis didn't work."

That got Kotomine's attention. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I tried three times, and nothing happened. So, as much as I might wish otherwise, I need your help. So, help me."

Kotomine put down the bible, and quietly walked over to them, his brown eyes examining Shirou all the while, making the teen shrink under the scrutiny.

When he had closed the distance between them and himself, he then reached out, and lightly grabbed Shirou's chin, slowly turning his head this way and that, as if the priest were examining a particular cut of meat.

After a moment, Rin watched as a grin settled onto Kotomine's face, before he let go of Shirou's chin. "Interesting. It would seem that this boy possesses magic circuits."

What?

Rin then turned towards Shriou, anger across her face, and she grabbed him by the front of his collar. "You're a mage?! Why have you been acting dumb this whole time, you little bastard?! Who are you really?! Are you another participant? Do you have a servant?! Is that why you've been acting so chummy with Sakura, because you're allied with the Matou's?"

Shirou attempted to pry her hands off, to no avail. "I told you before, Tohsaka, I have no idea what is going on! What do you mean, a mage?! What's a Servant? Also, for the love of Buddha, please just stop shaking me!"

Kirei's chuckle broke through Rin's tiny fit of anger. "There is no need to be suspiscous of him, Rin. I can assure you that he is telling the truth. His face is much too honest."

Oh.

Oops.

Trying and failing to keep her face from blushing bright crimson, Rin hastily let go of Shirou's collar.

Despite being a creep and an all-around pain in the ass, Rin had to begrudgingly admit that Kotomine was quite skilled in reading people.

Shirou then spoke up again. "Can someone please tell me what is happening right now?"

Kirei chuckled once more, and then his face became serious, and he turned to look directly at Shirou. "Greetings, young man. My name is Father Kirei Kotomine, and what has happened is quite simple; you have stumbled into a secret contest, known only to the people of this World who practice the art of magecraft, knonw as the Holy Grail War. In essence, seven mages are chosen by the Grail itself to participate in what is essentially a glorified battle royale, for which they summon Seven legendary heroes to the past, and all for the express purposes of both killing each other, so that the last pair standing may have the privilege of attaining a very special prize."

Shirou's face looked horrified "W… what sort of prize would be worth something like that?"

"Why, it is quite simple; the prize for whoever has the good fortune to win this contest is a Wish."

That seemed to get Shirou's attention. "A… A wish?"

"Yes, a wish; a chance to attain the deepst desire of your heart."

Shirou was silent for a moment, and then asked another question. "How many of these Wars have there been?"

"There have been four, with the last being only ten years ago. In fact, I myself was a participant. Ten years ago, I and the other seven masters fought, and bled, and died."

"Died?"

Kotomine chuckled a bit. "Not me, obviously, though I came very close more than once. Unfortunately, though, some of the other contestants who had entered suffered that most unfortunate fate, among them Rin's father, who also happened to be my former teacher."

At the mention of her father, Rin briefly felt saddened. Why did the fake priest have to bring those painful memories up?

Shirou briefly looked at her in what she hoped wasn't pity, and then his amber eyes turned back towards the priest. "So… that's all very interesting, but, what happens to me now?"

Kotomine stroked his chin as he examined the nervous boy. "Since you seem to have circuits of passable quality, and you are quite obviously unable to be hypnotized, and we cannot be certain that you will remain quiet about this, then perhaps a different, and somewhat unorthodox, solution is in order."

Rin looked at the priest in confusion. "What are you talking about, Kirei, and what do you mean 'an unorthodox solution?'"

The priest smiled that stupid grin of his.

Suddenly, next to him materialized a tall, shabby and nightmarish-looking figure. He, for the figure appeared to male, was emaciated beyond what could be even considered unhealthy, with the clear outline of his bones showing through his ebony skin. His legs and lower body were wrapped in grey and black rags, and his arms and fingers were abnormally long.

However, the two most arresting features of the Servant, for he could be nothing else, were his skull-like mask, which, Rin noted with disgust, was actually _stitched_ into his face, and his right arm, which, for some inexplicable reason, was tightly wrapped from fingertip to shoulder in black bandages and cloth.

The sudden appearance of this figure made Rin and Shirou jump back in surprise, while Archer already had an arrow aimed right for the space between the eye slits of the figure's mask, who looked over them with a tilted head.

Kirei then swiftly held up a hand. "Peace, everyone. I ask that you put away your weapon, good Archer. This is neutral territory, and I will not tolerate any bloodshed upon its holy ground."

"What is this, Kotomine?" Rin demanded.

"This is Servant Assassin." Kirei explained. "Sadly, his master decided to forfeit their command seals and position as Master soon after his summoning. However, this does allow you a rare opportunity, Young Man, to become a Master in this War, as I am afraid that your other option is not one you may look favorably upon."

Shriou slowly tore his eyes away from the sight of the macabre figure and looked at the priest. "…And what would the other choice be?"

Kotomine's smile was serene. "Death. There can be no outside witnesses to this contest. Rest assured that it would not be by me this night, but the other masters and their Servants will no doubt draw their own conclusions that you are involved."

Rin watched as Shirou nervously fingered his prayer beads. She actually felt a bit sorry for him, seeing as he was not stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Of course, a small part of her brain then came up with a devious and brilliant idea; if this handsome and clueless idiot became Assassin's master, she could ally with him; offer to take him under her wing, and thus gain a powerful advantage in the War. Besides, she had already glimpsed Assassin's stats, and she was very confident that Archer could destroy the Servant of the Shadow without even trying.

The priest smiled again at Shirou, and it was disconcerting in its serenity. "It's your choice, young man. What is your decision?"

* * *

The butt of Zouken's cane slammed again into Shinji's stomach with a loud and painful thud. "I would say that I am disappointed, but that would imply that I had any inkling of confidence in you to begin with, boy."

"G-grandfather…"

"Silence, fool."

 _Thud._

"I make you a master in this War," _thud._ "I grant you the book of False Attendant," _thud._ "I even graciously supplied you with a catalyst from my own beloved homeland to summon a powerful Servant," _thud._ "And yet, all that you have managed to accomplish with these tools is that you have shamed me, the name of Matou, yourself, your Servant, and then, you managed to make a complete and utter ass of yourself, all within the first three days of the Holy Grail War!"

With another _thud_ , Zouken left Shinji curled up in a fetal position on the wet ground, clutching his stomach in pain, while the smell of urine filled the air. The old man then let loose a sigh, both of resignation, and of disgust. "Though it is a sad and painful thing for me to admit, it seems that I have no choice but to conclude that the Makiri bloodline has finally become withered beyond any hope of repair or recovery. You are as useless as your pathetic drunkard of a father, or your equally useless mother. I suppose that perfect tools are still useless things in the hands of a useless thing, after all."

As Shinji kept whimpering and crying in pain, Zouken sighed. "However, since I am feeling generous this evening, and you did manage to help us locate the last Master and Servant pair in this War, then I will bequeath onto you one last chance to redeem your pathetic self. But, if you err again, however, then I will Rider cut off your hands and feet, and then I will feed you to my worms."

With a final thud to Shinji's stomach, Zouken turned and began to walk away. "Rider, Прийти."

All the knightly Rider could do was obey, glaring daggers at the old Magus' back as he followed and disappeared into astral form.

Shinji was soon enough left there, alone on the wet, muddy, and urine smoked pavement, softly crying to the night.

Damn them, damn them all!

* * *

Waver strode through the darkened streets of Fuyuki, as the rain subsided, and mist began to settle in the air.

Never in his life had he expected or hoped to ever have to return to this damned city; the city where, ten short years ago, he had gone through hell, and had ended up selling his soul to save his own life.

He had almost had a panic attack when he saw the Fuyuki Bridge.

 _… A gauntleted hand crushed his windpipe, holding him aloft while he helplessly flailed the stumps of his legs. A single eye glared at him with divine fury. "Your boisterous and stubborn Servant acquitted himself well against me, mongrel. Rest assured that, in honor of his memory, I will not kill you here. However, he still managed to commit a grave insult against me. As such, you will pay the price in his place! …._

Damn, still too many bad memories. He could even feel his hand starting to shake as it reached to where his flask used to hang on his hip, and his empty eye socket was beginning to ache.

 _"Daddy! Someone's coming!"_

His left leg's voice broke through his thoughts like a hammer to glass, as did the sound of soft footsteps coming towards him.

To all appearances, it seemed to be a little girl that stood in front of him, no more than perhaps ten years of age. She was dressed in a long purple coat with a white scarf around her neck, and a small purple hat on her head. The hat alone looked to be more expensive then anything he could ever hope to afford, especially when compared to his own worn and patched clothing. She looked like nothing less than then the daughter of some foreign royalty, visiting the city on a whim.

What stood out the most about the girl, however, were three things; the first was that her eyes were red, and her hair and skin as white as snow. The second was that she was out here, by herself, and she was not showing the slightest bit of fear. In fact, that led to the third thing, which was the fact that the expression on her face was disconcertingly mature, and… a bit arrogant.

To Waver, her appearance brought forth another memory from ten years ago.

… _A beautiful woman, with and skin as pale as moonlight, and eyes the color of rubies, smiled at him as a softly glowing light wash over the jagged stumps of his legs. "It's alright," she whispered to him, though the words barely penetrated his pain-wracked and delirious mind. "You're safe now."_

 _Meanwhile, the dark man, and the Silver king, watched dispassionately…._

 _"Daddy! Stay focused! This girl smells dangerous!"_

His right leg's voice snapped him back to the present. The girl smiled as she watched him briefly shake his head. "Hey there mister, what are you doing out here so late?" the girl asked, in a singsong voice. "It's dangerous at this time of night, you know? There's word of some nasty serial killer going around and killing people. Besides, you seem like the type who gets spooked too easily, even by a cute little girl like me!"

That was just mean.

Waver swallowed, ignored the insult, and managed to make a weak grin. "I could ask the same of you, _Einzbern_."

She laughed, the sound a dainty thing. "Oh, so you know who I am, and who my family is? That's very good, Mr. Velvet, aka _The Wandeirng Teacher of The Clock Tower_. That should cut time down on introductions"

Crap. The Einzberns knew who he was.

The smile then faded from her face, and she looked him dead in the eye. "So, now that I've found you, I need to ask you a very important question."

"…a question?"

"Yeah. Tell me, Mr. Velvet, do you know where Kiritsugu Emiya is?"

…. _The man's hand rested on the handle of a particular gun, as his dead eyes looked over the boy. "Do we have a deal, Waver Velvet?..._

He had to squeeze his hand to keep it from shaking at the mention of that man's name, and he swallowed again. "Wh… why do you want to know that?"

Now, the girl looked angry. "That's none of your business, Mr. Velvet. Just answer the damned question!"

"… I don't know where he is."

The Einzbern studied him for a moment, and then smirked, and such a blood thirsty expression looked absolutely wrong on so child-like a face.

"It doesn't sound like you're lying to me, so at least you're an honest coward. But, since that is the case, then you're next to useless to me. Sorry, Mr. Velvet, but, since I can tell that you're a Master, I'm afraid that you have to die. I can't afford to have any competition just running about during the War, after all!"

Materializing behind her was a vision of death and destruction; it was over eight feet tall and seemed carved from muscle and twisted iron. Its sculpted torso was bare, and it was clad only in a knee-length armored skirt, anklets, and vambraces. A metal disk wrought in the shape of a lion's roaring head hung from chains in the center of his chest, and while strange red lines arched their way across its grey body. It's hair was wild and black.

In its right hand, it held a massive golden axe, eager for blood, and the being's eyes, one gold, and one red, held a mad and endless rage within them.

Shit.

The Einzbern homunculus laughed aloud, and then pointed a small finger at the now very fearful Waver. "Kill him, Berserker! Flatten him into a bloody paste!"

With a roar that seemed to shake the very heavens, the behemoth seemed to disappear, and, in the next moment, loomed over the hapless Waver, it's axe at the ready to smash and cut and kill!

There then came a loud crashing noise, like the sound of thunder.

* * *

Upon a random bench, under a streetlight, sat a girl. This girl was dressed in long black fur clothes and a little fur hat, so as to ward off the cold air. Her face was oddly deadpan. In her hands, she held a book, Alice in Wonderland to be exact.

Why was this deadpan girl sitting outside, in cold and rainy weather, under a streetlight, reading Alice in Wonderland?

Simply put, this deadpan girl was waiting for something.

As she slowly turned a page in the book, she began to hum softly to her self.

 _"London bride is falling down_

 _Falling down,_

 _Falling down._

 _London Bridge is falling down,_

 _My fair lady."_

 **A/N You get a cliffhanger! You get a cliffhanger! You all get cliffhangers!**

 **To anyone who thinks it, then yes, the Waver of this timeline, due to what happened in this version of the Fourth War, suffers from severe PTSD. Also, the fact that he is not going by his more well-known title should be a big tell that things went VERY differently during the Fourth War. So, anyway, Read, review, and enjoy.**


	5. Chapter 5

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 4

Before Illya's massive Berserker could so much as lay a hand on the wandering magus, let alone grind him to a bloody smear on the pavement, the Servant of Madness' large weapon was suddenly and abruptly stopped, having been caught by an equally large, if not larger, hand, with the collision echoing through the night like the sound of thunder.

Illya blinked in surprise, as the owner of the hand stopping Berserker's axe then materialized into view. What seemed a bit weird about it that it was not from de-astralization, but that was besides the point.

The man, the giant, was over five meters tall, dwarfing Berserker, and he was clad in rustic, tooled armor of leather and iron, while his arms were covered from hand to shoulder in two gauntlets of leather and iron. A great, wild mane of red hair surrounded his bearded face, while in his forehead rested a shining jewel the color of his eyes. Strapped around his waist was a great belt of leather and metal, decorated with runes, and figures of goats and lightning bolts. Slung through a few rings looped into the belt were several axes, each equally the size of the Einzbern Master. Little streams and flashes of electricity danced about his great form.

Upon this giant's face was a great, fanged smile. "You're a strong little guy, huh? That's fine, this will just make it more fun!"

To Illya's shock, Berserker was actually struggling against the brute, wo was as immovable as a stone wall. But that was impossible, no one was stronger than Heracles, the greatest Hero of Greece!

Then, as if it were little more than an afterthought, Velvet's gargantuan servant sent Illya's servant flying far away into the sky with a single punch, which was really more of a backhand. The sonic boom that resulted from it sounded like that of a thunder storm.

That… that had not been what the Einzbern had been expecting at all.

Then, she turned back and quickly scanned the enemy's stats, the numbers flashing before her eyes.

When she saw what the enemy's Servant's stats were, Illya's jaw almost dropped open in complete shock and surprise.

EX rated strength? EX rated strength?! How was such a thing even possible! He must have been cheating somehow!

Through the link, she could feel five of Berserker's lives already slip away. That had just been from one lazy punch?! Who was this monstrous servant?

The giant looked where he had punched Heracles for a moment, and then looked down at her, still smiling his fanged grin. "Still want to hurt my Master, little girl? If so, then I warn you that you'll make a nice little snack."

In the back of her mind, she felt Heracles' rage at being hurt, and at the fac that this brute dared to threaten her. Heracles was already bounding back towards them, ready to fight, though his wounds still bled.

A part of her wanted to fight, but the rest of her, her more rational side, felt that maybe it was time to go home for the night. Not because she was scared, but, because it was not tactically sound to be fighting right now.

Illya then sent a command through their link, and, right behind her, Berserker screeched to a halt, with a large bloody indentation in his torso almost finished healing from where the brute had punched him.

She then looked past the giant to Velvet, who seemed to be doing his best not to hyperventilate. She smiled, and then gave him a small wave. "Well, this has been most interesting, Mr. Velvet. Thank you. Just remember than when next we met, you won't be as lucky, and I will have my Berserker rip your head off. Bye-bye!"

The Einzbern heiress then turned to her servant. "Let's go home, Berserker." Heracles grunted, cradled her in one of his arms, and then leapt away into the night.

* * *

Waver watched the brute bound away with the little Enizbern homunculus cradled in its large hand. Once they had left, he let loose the breath the he had been holding in for what seemed like ages.

Shit. Things really had just gotten more complicated, huh?

Rider, meanwhile, watched the pair go, and let loose a booming chuckle. "She's a fiery little thing, isn't she? Plus, that Berserker of hers is a spirited little fellow. He should be fun to fight again."

Waver sighed. Why did he have to be sober for this, or for any of this? He needed a drink, a nice, good stiff drink…

No… just no. He was not going to fall off the wagon, again. He was not keen to wind up in the emergency room, again.

Fuck, why was he even here, in this fucking city, competing in this bloody battle royale?

Oh, that's right…. He still had to meet with a witch and a chain-smoking psychopath….

* * *

From within the church, Kirei and his friend watched the short battle draw to a close. The Golden man's eye was set upon the sight of the grown Waver Velvet, and then upon the gargantuan Servant.

Kirei noted that his friend's working eye was filled with excitement.

"So, that little mongrel did survive after all," he said.

"It would seem so, your Majesty, and, more importantly, he has summoned his Rider servant from ten years ago."

A smile ben the lips of the Golden Man. "Indeed. As such, that means that this War will not be a complete bore to me after all."

That battle on the bridge had been truly magnificent, even if it had marred his countenance _…._

 _"I care not if you are the First Hero, or even the fucking All-Father himself! I will never retreat, not even from the likes of one such as you! So, come at me, Gilgamesh, King of Nothing, and I will show you the true meaning of courage and strength! Come at me if you so dare, knowing that you shall not pass by me unscathed!"_

 _Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed, while the sky filled with gold…._

"What will you do now, your Majesty? Will you seek him out, like you did ten years ago?"

The Golden Man shook his head. "No, at least, not until he has had the chance to thin the herd. Let him crush the unworthy contenders of this War, before being allowed the chance to fight me once again. Of course, if we should cross paths anyway, then there will be no choice but to fight."

"Very well, your Majesty."

As Kirei turned to leave, the King spoke once again. "May I inquire as to why you gave that empty Assassin to the boy, Kotomine?"

The priest smiled. "Why, I am simply doing my part as a good Samaritan and giving a helpless lamb a chance to fend off the wolves. Nothing more."

Besides, there was something about the boy… the priest's dark heart had almost skipped a beat when Rin had dragged the strange boy into the church.

Curses resonated with their own, after all.

Very interesting.

* * *

The dead-pan girl was still sitting under the streetlight when she heard footsteps. She looked up from her chapter, and saw it was the man she had been waiting to meet tonight.

Waver Velvet sat down next to the girl with a tired groan.

For a while, nothing was said, and she turned a page, while Velvet took out a pack of gum, and popped one of the white pellets into his mouth. Meanwhile, an advertisement poster for F.S. Industries blew past them on a gentle night breeze

For another moment, the only sound was that of his soft chewing, and then, he turned to her. "Alice."

"Waver Velvet."

He looked over her briefly. "You look the same."

She looked at him. "You look tired. How are your legs? Have you been feeding them well?"

"I try to."

Good enough. "I see that you have summoned your servant, Waver Velvet."

He did not ask how she knew, because she knew that he was quite well aware of her abilities. He glanced at the book in her hands. "You too?"

"That is correct."

"Fuck."

She looked at him over her book. "There is no need to be crass about it, Waver Velvet."

He gave her a look in return. "No need? Excuse me for cussing because of the fact that I am in a repeat of the nightmarish contest from ten years ago that cost me a good number of body parts and sleepless nights."

She said nothing for a moment. "Understandable. She still wants to meet with you."

"I know, I know…. Let me guess, her as well?"

"Does such a question really need to be asked, Waver Velvet?"

"Good point. Knowing her, she was probably the first to sign up for this shitty deathmatch… When does she want to meet?"

"When you're able, but the sooner the better, and preferably before the coming morning."

"… Good enough. Tell her that I'll be there in a few hours."

"I shall. Have a pleasant night, Waver Velvet."

"Good night, Alice. I'll see you later."

After he stood up and left, Alice was still there, sitting on that bench, under that spotlight, and still reading Alice in Wonderland.

She then turned another page.

* * *

Waver ambled on back to the cheap little hotel where he had rented a room, with Rider lumbering behind him in pseudo-astral form, which he accomplished through manipualtion of light particles. it was something that he and Waver had learned in the last War. _"That was a good bit of fun, Waver. Can't wait to fight that little Berserker again."_

Waver groaned. "Glad to know that you had some fun, Rider."

They came to the hotel. "Wait out here, Rider. I'll be back down soon enough."

Later, in his room's small bathroom, Waver looked over himself in the mirror, and what he saw staring back at him was a face he still had yet to ever truly recognize; the man looking back at him was muscular, and his tanned torso was covered both liberally and sparsely in tattoos, with each representing a different place he had been, or deed that he had done, or even a bit of thaumaturgy that he liked to have on hand. There were also scars, and bruises that had never fully healed, accumulated over ten years of wandering, fighting, and teaching those who felt the need to flock behind him.

One scar, as always, stood out; the one over where his liver was located. Sometimes it burned, and sometimes he felt nothing.

His weathered face was covered in a beard that was as black as his messy long hair, with a close cut on his left temple, and most of the rest being tied messily in a rough pony tail, while the remainder just hung freely.

He then looked down at his tattooed arms as they gripped the sides of the cheap sink. If one were to look closely enough, then, through the ink, one could almost make out tiny little puncture marks, like those that resulted from many hypodermic needles full of strange substances being shoved through the flesh, and into his veins.

They used to help, those strange substances… those poisons, even if it had been only briefly.

But, mostly, he looked at his eye, and at the socket where his left on had once been.

Sometimes, he saw the face of someone that he hated; a nineteen-year-old boy, eager to make his mark on the world, and so very, very foolish.

With a sad and tired groan, the wandering magus disrobed and settled himself into the full tub, letting the water soak into him, easing his sore and weary bones.

As he did, he examined his legs; from the foot up to about midcalf, they were covered in eldritch and flowing symbols, with the right being black and red, and the left being white and blue.

They felt like his legs, they moved as well as his legs, but, every once in a while… Waver could not help but be reminded of the fact that they were not really his legs.

 _…. "Enjoy your new legs, Waver Velvet, and remember…. As of now, your soul technically belongs to us." …_

 _"Daddy? Are you okay?"_

The magus sighed at the leg's concern. "Yeah… yeah I'm fine."

Ten minutes later, after he finished his bath and dressed, Waver packed up the rest of his bags, checked out, and went off with Rider to meet a certain nicotine addict.

* * *

On the outskirts of Fuyuki City, deep within its forest, was a building that could only be described as a castle. Few really knew about, and the few who did tended to stay as far away from it as possible.

Illyasviel von Einzbern was feeling rather peeved at the moment. Not angry, because a proper lady never got angry… or pissed… or enraged…

… Yep, it was none of those things, but she was willing to admit that she was peeved, and fuming!

The night had ended up being an almost complete disaster. Not only did Waver Velvet not know anything about papa, but that stupidly overpowered servant of his had already cost her first Berserker five of his lives!

As Heracles deposited her in front of the castle, her attendants quickly came striding out. They were two women, and each identical in their maid-like garb, white hair, and red eyes, though one was a bit slenderer, and the other a bit more muscular. "What happened, my lady?" the slenderer one, Sella inquired.

Sella and Leysritt were homunculi, much like her, only… less, though, they made up for it by being both strong and diligent in their duites… most of the time.

"Things did not go as planned, that's what happened!" Illya declared. "Right now, though, I'm tired and hungry. Have dinner and my bed prepared."

"Yes, m'lady. Right away."

Two other figures waited inside the sumptuous mansion's entrance, lounging by the steps. Their heads perked up as their mistress and the homunculi maids entered.

The first was a very tall man, only a foot shorter than Illyasviel's first Berserker. Like Heracles, this man was also shirtless and barefoot, only, unlike the Hero of Greece, he wore a pair of oddly modern-looking pants. Around his muscular wrists were a pair of gold, bejeweled bracers that looked more like manacles, complete with small lengths of broken chain attached. His hands were wrapped in bright red cloth, which were currently drumming on the floor, next to a large antique stein of beer which he had irreverently set down next to him on the carpeted floor. It was not the first time he had done so, and it had earned him more than one scolding from Sella, which he never failed to take in stride with good cheer.

His skin was darkly tanned, and covered in bright red scars, even on his feet, while upon each muscular arm was a long, glowing tattoo, running from shoulder to elbow. His red eyes, which held a strange kindness to them, looked at her from behind long blonde bangs.

The second figure was not a person at all, but instead a large wolf, with fur the color of gold, and eyes like two finely cut emeralds. Currently, he was at the base of the steps, lounging on his left side. He must have been asleep. When he wasn't eating or killing, he was usually sleeping. Lazy bum.

The shirtless man gave Illya a wave and a grin, before taking a large pull from his stein. "Hey little lady! How did it go? Did big boy back there kick some ass?"

"Not well at all, and no, he didn't kick any ass. Instead, it was Heracles whose ass got kicked, and he lost five of his lives, like an idiot. Waver Velvet's stupid Servant was much stronger than anticipated."

That actually knocked the grin off of his bearded face for a moment. "Huh. Well… shit. Maybe I should have been there. Could have helped, ya know!"

She looked at the man in consternation. "You know very well why I couldn't take you with me tonight, _Berserker_. I can't yet let word get out that I somehow managed to summon two Servants, and from the same class no less!"

The second Servant of Madness chuckled again and raised his stein towards her. "Whatever. You're the boss, little lady! Just be sure to let me out of here once in a while. A man needs to fight and let loose after all. Know what I mean, Lugh?"

The golden wolf looked at the second Berserker with a strange and human intelligence gleaming in its eyes, let loose a small whimper that sounded more like a groan, rolled to his feet, and then padded over to Illya and gently licked her face with a happy pant.

Despite herself, she giggled a bit, and scratched Lugh behind his ears, eliciting a soft growl of happy contentment from the large wolf, as evidenced by the wagging of his large and long tail.

Behind her, Heracles just loomed and stood quietly.

Illya then looked to Sella. "Have any of the familiars returned yet?"

"Not yet, but they are en-route now."

"Good, let me know when they arrive. Now then, as I ordered earlier, make me and Lugh some dinner. I'm feeling famished, and I'm sure he is too."

"Right away, m'lady."

As the maid departed, Illya studied her two Servants and pet/ friend/ familiar and thought how about how all of them had all come together.

Illya still remembered that night from two months ago, in the Forest of Sweden, with both fondness… and more than a bit of confusion as how exactly it had all happened.

 _… Grandpa had not told her what was going to happen, that night. The servants just woken her up and then just left her out into the cold and snowy forest of Sweden._

 _She had no idea how long she had wandered through the forest, with only her nightdress and blanket to keep her warm, and without any shoes._

 _"Well, well. What have we here?" A deep and rough voice said. Along with the voice, the crunching of snow underfoot signaled that she was not alone._

 _There were wolves, and lots of them, with fur like silver that glinted in the cold moonlight. Despite herself, Illya began to shiver, though, she was unsure whether it was from fear, the cold, or both._

 _The biggest of them then opened its maw, and… spoke, in a heavily accented voice._ _"What have we here? A little girl, all by herself, alone in the woods. Did you wander from your warm home and parents, little snowflake? Or have you come to bring your dear old granny some tasty treats and things to warm her old and tired bones?"_

 _The wolves edged closer from the trees, cutting out any possible means of escape_

 _It grinned a grin, full of fangs saliva and malice. "Tell me, are you afraid of the big bad wolf?"_

 _Illya clutched the stone fragment tight to her chest. Despite herself, she did feel scared. She was going to die here…._

 _No, no, she could not die here! She still had to find out what happened to papa, find out why he had abandoned her._

 _As the large wolf prepared to pounce, she closed her eyes, and felt the stone fragment cut into her skin…_

 _Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light, a loud roar, boisterous laughter, and screams. Screams that sounded like wolves, dying in terror and agony!_

 _When the screams died down, she heard another voice. Unlike the wolf's this once was deeper, and more compassionate. "You okay, little lady?"_

 _After a moment, she opened her eyes, and looked up… and up._

 _Two giants stood before her, and both covered liberally in blood and viscera. The tallest one looked down at her, while the shorter one looked about, no doubt for more wolves. While the larger one carried an axe, the shorter man had a sword and what looked like a large mace._

 _She should have felt afraid, but, as she looked upon these two large figures, she felt only… comfort, and safety._

 _The shorter one then looked at her and gave her a smile that reminded her of the last time she saw papa, before reaching out a hand to her. "Hey there, little Lady. Are you our Master?"_

 _She was not afraid, and she took the hand, and smiled. "Yes, Berserkers. I am Illyasviel Von Einzbern, and I have summoned you, as your Master, for the holy Grail War."_

 _Somehow, but that was not important._

 _The shorter Berserker chuckled._ " _Alright then._ _Don't worry, little lady. We're going to win that shiny cup for you, believe it!"_

 _Then, the three heard more footsteps, and turned to the direction they were emanating from. Their source was soon revealed._

 _It looked like the other wolves, only smaller, and its fur was gold in color. It also looked malnourished, and sad, and not at all malevolent like the others._

 _The taller Berserker growled, and raised his axe, and the shorter one just sighed and readied his sword. "Get behind us, little lady. This won't take a moment."_

 _Yet, for some reason, Illya made the two giants stand down, and slowly approached the trembling werewolf._

 _At least, she thought it was a werewolf, but it felt…. Different then the brutes that had just tried to eat her._

 _Tentatively, she reached out her hand. It looked at her, curious, and then nosed against her palm. Its snout was cold and wet, and the sensation made her giggle._

 _Illya then looked it square in its green eyes. "You look hungry; want to come with us?"_

Illya still remembered the shocked look on Grandfather's face when she had returned with not only two Beserkers, but also a golden werewolf in tow. Suffice to say, he never once tossed her out into the cold again, or did any more hurtful injections and tests on her, not with her three new friends/ protectors always by her side:

Heracles, the Hero of Greece; Beowulf, the Bear of Geatland; and Lugh, her pet/ friend, a powerful thing that was masquerading as a werewolf with gold fur.

With them at her side, she would crush all who stood before her in this war. She would win the Holy Grail, find out what happened to papa, and she would find the red-headed brat that he had dared to replace her with all those years ago.

When she did find him, that brat was going to suffer, and die.

But first, she had to find a way to kill that giant Rider, and his Master.

* * *

Rin watched as Shriou kept looking at the three glowing symbols on his hand. Unlike hers, which were in the shape of an elaborate bow and arrow, Shirou's was shaped like a lotus flower.

He was also casting furtive glances over his shoulder every few minutes, no doubt looking at his newly acquired Assassin servant, who was currently following his new master in spirit form.

After a moment, Rin spoke up. "Shirou, we need to make an Alliance."

That caught the new Master's attention. "Excuse me?"

"It's quite simple and logical. Since you're now a Master in the Holy Grail War, and it's very clear to me that you are way out of your depth, I propose an alliance. Besides, since, as Kirei said, you have passable circuits, you need training to defend yourself. As such, I will also graciously take you on as an apprentice."

He was not even hesitant in his reply. "Alright. I accept."

She had to admit, she was a shocked at how quickly he had agreed. "You don't even want to think about it?"

He shook his head. "No. I think I can trust you, Tohsaka. Besides, this War sounds like there are a lot of bad people involved in it, and if one of them gets a wish, then, well, that would be simply terrible for everyone. Thus, that means that, as good people, we have a responsibility to make sure that the wish is kept out of the hands of any of anyone who would wish for something terrible, and thus make sure that no one suffers, right?"

Alright, things were going perfectly! "Very good. Now, since tomorrow is a weekend, then we can set the day side to plan and prepare. Meet me tomorrow at my house, and we can begin. I look forward to beginning your tutelage, apprentice."

He actually bowed to her with a smile. "Thank you, Tohsaka. See you tomorrow."

As they parted ways, and he walked out of earshot. Archer materialized next to her. "Master."

"Yes Archer?"

"I don't mean to step out of bounds, but are you sure that this is a wise course of action?"

"How do you mean?"

"You know next to nothing about this boy, and yet you have already him on as an Apprentice and ally. Also, those of the Assassin class are not typically known for their ability to be trustworthy. For all you know, he might actually be lying about his lack of knowledge regarding the War. He hardly hesitated before accepting the role of Assassin's master."

Rin shrugged. "I understand your concerns, Archer, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Besides, as loath as I am to admit it, Kirei is stupidly adept at reading people. If he says that Shirou was not lying, then I have no reason to not believe him. Besides, Shirou is probably just like any other boy his age, and thus thinks that this will just be a chance for him to try and act like a superhero. So, all I need to do with him is just point him at an enemy, and then pull the metaphorical trigger. Plus, I get a loyal apprentice out of the deal as well."

Archer looked at her for a moment, and then simply nodded. "Very well Master. It is your decision. I just think you should be careful with this."

Was he questioning her? "Like I just said, thank you for your concerns, but I am sure that there will be nothing to worry about."

She then began to walk. "Now then, let's go home. I need to get to get some sleep. It's been a bit of a long night."

* * *

 _She wandered the streets, looking for a house that she needed to find._

 _She had been in this city for a while and found that it was better than the last one. In fact, she actually liked it here. It was nice and peaceful here. She hoped she could make a new friend._

 _Through the streets she walked, on and on, until she found the home that she had been looking for._

 _Well, it was time to get to it. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long._

 _Without hesitation, she knocked on the door. The person who opened it looked surprised. "Can I help you…"_

 _She looked at them and sighed. Truly, she was not going to enjoy this at all, but it had to be done._

 _Why did it look so frightened? It would all be over soon. There would not be much screaming._

 **"Bend."**

 _It did not scream much. It really did not have a chance to. It was almost pleasant, in a way. Plus, it did not take long at all._

* * *

 _When he was born, they said that he was perfect. His cry, his weight, shape, and figure. Even his birth was perfect, with his mother feeling little to no pain from the act of bringing him into the world._

 _As the boy grew, all anyone could say about him was that he was perfect._

 _The boy listened to their praises and compliments and understood that he was perfect._

 _But… would those same people, the ones who gave him praise… would they shun him if he did something imperfectly?_

 _So, the boy decided that everything he would do from then on would be nothing less than perfect…_

* * *

Rin woke up the next day feeling a peculiar cross between tired and refreshed. On the one hand, Archer's prana consumption still had taken a bit of a toll. On the other hand, she had gotten to see him in action; she had a new ally, and so far, no one had died yet.

Though, she was probably also feeling tired because of that weird dream.

As she arrived downstairs, she found Archer already waiting with a steaming cup of tea. "Good morning, master. Your favored brand of tea is ready."

"Thank you, Archer."

She took a sip. Ah, perfect. "If I may Master, you look a bit tired."

"Sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night. Guess it was a combination of nerves and other things. Then there was that dream I had… and, oddly enough, I think that the dream was about you."

The Archer was silent for a long moment. "Indeed…. And what, if I may inquire, did you see in this… dream of yours, master? What makes you so sure that it was about me?"

Why was he so curious, all of a sudden? "Just about you as a child. As for how I'm sure, well, one of my father's tomes mentions something called a "dream connection, in which the Master can see their Servant's memories through this connection."

His back was to her, but she could have sword that the tray he was holding shook for the briefest of moments.

Oh well, Rin was sure that it was nothing.

As she sipped the last of her tea, she then looked at the clock. Archer had been good enough to set them back to their proper time.

As she finished dressing, a knock on her door signaled Shirou's arrival.

She went to the door, and opened it, to reveal Shirou in something other than a school uniform. He was wearing a red coat, brown shoes, and dark blue pants and shirt.

"Hello, Shirou."

"Good morning, Tohsaka. May I come in?"

A bit formal, but that was okay. "Of course. You know, there's no need to be so formal."

"My apologies, it was just how I was raised."

With a slight chuckle, she let him in, the bounded fields around the house letting him pass.

"I just woke up, so I have not had the chance to eat breakfast. Are you hungry? If so, you can help in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Tohsaka. However, I'm not sure how much help I'll be in the kitchen though. I'm not really that much of a cook, but I'll do my best. Do you have any vegetarian options?"

He really wasn't a good cook at all, but it was nothing that could not be contained, and luckily, the kitchen did not end up burned down, or even slightly singed.

As they ate, Rin turned on her radio. Sadly, the news was rather bleak. It had been barely twenty-four hours, and already, the serial killer had struck again.

As the official police statement was given, made by one Detective Akimi, Shirou's face turned sad when the victim's names and ages were given. "It's such a sad and terrible, that they had to killed like that," Shirou said, as he put down his chopsticks. "I hope that they didn't suffer."

Rin had to admit, that was an odd thing to say of murder victims, but, then again, sometimes that was all one could really hope for, she supposed.

"I guess… Anyway, now that we've eaten, we need to get to work. First, we will begin with simple magecraft, and then we should try to formulate patrol routes to search for the other Masters…."

The day, and pretty much the rest of the weekend, passed without much fanfare, and most of it was spent with Rin and Shirou training from about ten till three, after which he would leave, and then meet up with her in the evening. To Rin's pleasant surprise, Shirou was a quick study. Not a savant by any means, but he still learned quickly, and was eager to be taught new things every moment.

Her only real complaint was that he was perhaps a bit too trusting. In fact, he even told her his Servant's true identity; Hassan-i-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain.

But aside from that, things went pretty smoothly over the weekend, except for Sunday Evening.

During that evening, their patrol route took them directly to the school, having followed a strange mana signature.

As the pair and their Servants quietly walked through the darkened hallways, Rin having managed to pick the lock, Archer suddenly alerted them to a strange sound.

Was that… the screeching of a cat?

Then, a second later, Assassin suddenly sent a small black dirk whizzing through the air, and the knife impaled what looked like a large cat made of red staticky energy.

When the sharp blade struck its head, the thing screeched once, and then dissipated, letting the dagger fall to the ground with a small clatter, which the Servant of the Shadows swiftly retrieved.

Without blinking or even really looking, Archer then loosed two arrows from his bow, and they flew and arced around the corner of the hall. A second later, the four heard two more screeches.

Without another word, they headed forward into the darkened school, with Archer and Assassin making short work of any more that they came across.

"What are familiars doing here?" Shirou asked.

"Not sure. Just in case, have Assassin scout ahead, since he has Presence concealment."

"Right."

Assassin hurried to obey his Master's order, seemingly disappearing from sight.

As the three continued to advance forward, Archer kept his bow steady and prepared, every ready for the appearance of any more familiars that might attempt to attack them.

Shirou then suddenly looked up, shock written on his face. "Rin. Assassin just told me that there is someone on the roof."

The three ran as quickly as they could, and luckily, they encountered no more familiars.

They swiftly got to the roof, where, Assassin stood, hiding in the shadows. Then, they saw the person he had saw, a girl, and… she was standing on the edge of the roof. If she moved even an inch, she would plummet to her death.

Rin did not know the girl, not personally, but she recognized her from class 1-B. She had dark hair, though that was all the Tohsaka heiress could, see, as the girl's back was to them.

For a very long moment, no one, Servant or Master, dared to make a move, for fear of spooking her, and causing a tragedy.

Then the girl turned, revealing that she was wearing red glass, and… she stepped off the edge!

Over the screams of Shirou and Rin, Assassin seemed to become a blur. He barely made it in time, with his hand outstretched over the side, and barely managed to catch the girl by her arm. "Not to worry, I have her, Masters," he said, in an accented and scratchy voice

As they approached, and the Servant of the Shadows gently eased the student to the rooftop floor, Rin saw that the girl' eyes were blank, and the muscles on the right side of her face were slack, almost as if she had just suffered from a stroke. Had she been hypnotized or…

Then, the girl gasped, and a strange energy began to flow out of her eyes, nose, mouth, and even ears, making her scream.

The strange energy seemed to briefly coalesce into a female humanoid form, but then… it dispersed and vanished.

The girl was unresponsive.

What was going on? What had just happened?

* * *

 _They had kept the girl from flying, but she did not feel angry that the four interlopers had intervened. There were always others who could be made to fly._

 _Besides, now she knew what they looked like._

 _Maybe she would be able to make them fly…._

* * *

At school the next day, everyone seemed a bit on edge from the recent murders, and from the fact that a student here had attempted suicide and was now in a deep coma.

Other than that, the only real thing that seemed different to Rin was the fact that Shinji did not try to hit on her, again, which was an unexpected, but totally welcome, relief to the Tohsaka heiress. Though, she did overhear a few girls mentioning that the boy's breath and clothes were starting to stink of alcohol.

Of course, the bounded field markers were still there, but unfortunately, she still had not yet found a way to diffuse them without any sort of backlash. Nor had she been able to determine who had made the bounded field.

The school day at first seemed to pass without much fanfare, but then the intercom blared to life. "Attention all students. In the wake of the recent killings, all afterschool activities and clubs are hereby canceled until further notice, and school will be cut short by an hour. Any and all students with no urgent business are to leave school grounds immediately. I repeat…"

As the school then began to slowly empty, Rin found Shirou, and took him aside. "Are you going to be busy tonight?"

"Not really, no. I was supposed to walk Sakura Matou home today, but, for some reason, she isn't here. Besides, my father usually just lets me come and go as I please."

"Good, because I think that there is a Master in Ryuudo Temple. The flow of mana from those strange familiars last night was going in the direction the Temple."

"Do you think that they are responsible for the bounded field arrays in the school, and for what happened to that girl?"

"Possibly, though it may still be too early to be sure. As such, we need to formulate a plan to approach them."

"When?"

"Tonight."

As Shirou nodded, Rin clenched her fist in anticipation. She would confront the persons responsible for this blatant attack. They would fall before her might, and she would bring them to justice.

As the Second Owner of Fuyuki, she was obligated to do no less.

* * *

Shinji staggered down the street, the already empty bottle hanging limply from his hand, held only by a few fingers, and another in his other hand.

Despite his grandfather sparing him that night, he was no fool. He knew that there was not going to be any "second chance." To Zouken Matou, "Second chance" really just translated to mean "I have yet to decide what day of the week I will feed you to my worms."

So, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his idiot father. If he was going to be eaten, then he would be so soaked with booze that he would not feel a thing.

It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair! He was the heir of the Matou! Not her! Why did she get the training? Why did she have to pity him?

No, it wasn't pity, she was looking down at him. That bitch had always looked down on him! Her, Tohsaka, that defective Rider! They all looked down on him, laughed at him, mocked him behind his back!

With a snarl of rage, he threw the bottle against the wall in front of him, making the glass thing shatter into a million little pieces. Well, he would show them, he would… he would…. He then looked at the other bottle in his other hand….

…Fuck it. He raised the bottle to his lips.

As the Matou sat there, his back against the cool brick, and tears and snot running down his face, and cheap alcohol tricking into his throat, he heard footsteps approaching him. Slowly, Shinji turned his head, and looked up.

The man was tall, and broad shouldered with brown hair framing his shadowed face, and a small necklace of prayer beads that hung around his neck. He was dressed in dark blue vestments, and a long coat.

Shinji looked up at him. "Are- _hic -_ are you here to k-kill me? _Hic_ "

The man had a frighteningly impassive look upon his face as he looked down the boy. Then, he shook his head in response to the drunk teens question. "No, I have not come to kill you. I have simply come to help you, Shinji Matou. All I want to do is to help you to achieve your full potential…"

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Yes, You-Know-Who makes another sinister appearance. What plans could he possibly have for Shinji Matou? Who will Shirou and Rin encounter at the Temple? Also, in case you are wondering how there are two Riders, and two Berserkers, well, then, just wait and see.**

 **As a little history for this timeline. Here, the Einzberens relocated to Sweden after the Fourth War, partly to regroup and replan, but also to silently punish Kiritsugu. Remember how the lore said that he spent months trying to find a way to their Castle in Germany? Yep, here, the poor guy had no idea that he was trying to find an entrance to a deserted castle. Doubly cruel. So, anyway, hold on to tour hats and seats, because things are still going to get crazy and scary.**

 **Read, review, and Enjoy.**

* * *

1st Berserker: Heracles

Master: Illyasviel von Einzbern

 **STATS**

STR: A+

END: A

AGI: A

MAN: A

LCK: B

N.P.: A+

 **Class Skills**

Mad Enhancement: B

Divinity: A

 **Personal Skills**

Battle Continuation: A

Bravery: A+

Eye of the Mind (False): B

 **Noble Phantasms**

Nine Lives: A+

God Hand: B

* * *

2nd Berserker: Beowulf

Master: Illyasviel von Einzbern

 **STATS**

STR: A+

END: A+

AGI: A

MAN: C

LCK: A+

N.P.: A

 **Class Skills**

Mad Enhancement: E-

 **Personal Skills**

Berserk: A

Instinct: B

Battle Continuation: B

 **Noble Phantasms**

Grendel Buster: A+

Hrunting: A

Naegling: B

* * *

Assassin: Hassan-i-Sabbah

Master: Shirou

 **STATS**

STR: B

END: C

AGI: A

MAN: C

LCK: E

N.P.: C

 **Class Skills**

Presence Concealment: A+

 **Personal Skills**

Projectile (daggers): B

Self-Modification: C

Protection from Wind: A

 **Noble Phantasm**

Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat: C (Anti-Unit)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N All your positive reviews, likes, and follows really help. Thanks everyone.**

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 5

There were dark clouds in the sky. It had been raining on and off for the past several days. It was the sort of weather that could leave a person feeling very tired, and, right now, Daisuke Aikimi was feeling very, very tired, as he watched the light rain drip down the glass windows of the Fuyuki Police Department.

This was not just a tiredness in the physical sense, however, though the detective was indeed starting to feel the accumulated effects of countless cups of coffee and many sleepless nights; no, it was more in the mental sense that he was beginning to get oh so very weary. It had been over a year, and the serial killer was still at large. Still at large, and he was starting to feel useless.

Daisuke had not felt this useless as a police detective since the Mifune vanishings. In hindsight, he had perhaps botched that investigation a bit. But it was not really his fault, as there had been little to no leads to follow. Plus, the media coverage had only made things infinitely worse.

A 14-year-old boy, a twenty-year old terminal patient, a middle-aged woman, and two teenagers. It had just seemed like those four had disappeared off the face of the earth. There had been absolutely no connection between them whatsoever. Over the course of a year, they were there, and the next… they had just vanished. Fujino Asagami, Lio Shirazumi, Kirie Fujou, Mitsuru Kamekura, and a woman known only as "Mother Mifune." Their faces still haunted him sometimes.

After several months of failure and false leads, which had actually culminated in the mysterious deaths of three suspects, and a shootout/ hostage situation with a fourth, the five cases had finally been declared cold. Meanwhile, Daisuke's superiors had then decided to "promote" him for "all his hard work,' and, as a "reward," had promptly packaged him off to Fuyuki City. Most likely, it was to make sure that he was quietly forgotten.

Not that he had any real complaints in the long run, as it was a nice city. Most of the people here were just nice.

Of course, no more than five years later, his new home was now being quietly terrorized by a serial killer. The victims were from all walks of life and had no connection, and the causes of deaths were all bizarrely different as well, including one family that had been killed in their beds, save for their three-month old infant. Also, there was somehow no evidence left at any of the scenes. The only real connection seemed to be that none the victims had put up any sort of a fight. The only real outlier was a victim who had been torn apart in an alleyway.

With a tired sigh, he leaned back in his chair, took a long sip of coffee, and then an equally drag on his cigarette. At this point, it felt like all that the police could really do was just wait for the next murder.

Freaking fantastic.

He looked at the smoldering cigarette that he clutched between his two fingers. His nephew had been pushing for him to quit.

His phone began to ring. He flipped it open and answered. "Hello, this is Daisuke."

It was his nephew. "Hey Mikiya. Yeah, I'm alright, well, as alright as I can be, given the circumstances."

They chatted for a bit about everything and nothing. Daisuke was informed that his grandniece was doing well, and that everything else was happy and good.

He was glad, but, at times, it made him feel just a tad jealous. Then, Mikiya told him something.

"Shiki wants to talk to me? Um, okay, sure. Put her on."

* * *

 _That Night_

They planned to investigate Ryuudo Temple tonight, and after a few hours of planning, Rin, Shirou, and their Servants set out. Luckily, the rain had stopped.

As of right now though, Rin was getting an uncomfortable reminder that the entrance to Ryuudo Temple had way too many stairs. She was honestly considering having Archer carry her the rest of the way.

After what felt like an hour of climbing, they approached the front gate. As they did, Shirou briefly clasped his hands together in respectful prayer.

When they entered onto the courtyard, they were greeted with an empty sight. There were no lights on, or any hint of human residency. The only sounds were the light rain and the wind as it wound and weaved its way through the temple yard.

Shirou was the first to voice a concern as he looked about. "….Where are all the monks?"

"Worry not little mortals, for they are safely detained."

The voice was deep, and… for lack of a better term, heroic in its timbre. Archer was already readying an arrow, and pointing it at the space before them, while Assassin had already slipped into the shadows. A moment later, the source of the voice was revealed, as he materialized ins a shower of blue sparks.

The Servant was very tall, muscular and covered from neck to toe with black tattoos. A long skirt woven from leather and plants, and a bright red loincloth, covered him from the waist down, though his bare-feet and portions of his tattooed and toned legs poked out, while his muscled and sculpted chest and abdomen were on full display, despite the cold air. His skin was the nut brown of those that hailed from the islands of the region of Polynesia. His face was clean shaven and handsome, and his hair was long, tangled, and hung free. On his handsome face was a lighthearted and mischievous grin, and his dark eyes danced with a great valor, tinged with a child-like kindness.

In his right hand was something that Rin could only describe as a massive fishhook that had been carved from the bone of an equally massive creature. The thing was almost as long as the Servant was tall and engraved with a strange language and other symbols.

Rin took a glance at his stats, and blanched. What kind of Servant had such near perfect stats? No matter, because Archer should still be able to kick his ass, and with Assassin's help.

He looked over them all as he gave his weapon a few twirls, and chuckled. "Greetings, little mortals. I am Caster. Are you here for a fight?"

What? How did a Caster have such high stats?! That class was not known for the durability, or high strength!

Then, there was another set of footsteps, and a woman stepped onto the courtyard. She was a bit over average height and was wearing a long, green, button-down dress with a slit up the front, under an ankle-length tan coat. Her hair, which was the color of dried blood, was bound up in a messy pony tail. A cigarette dangled from her lips, trailing a thin stream of acrid smoke into the air.

Rin knew who this woman was, and a chill lanced its way down and through her spine.

Touko Aozaki, one of the most powerful magi on the planet, and one of the few to have a Sealing Designation placed on her head.

What was she doing here…. Rin then saw that her right hand held three glowing marks.

Oh no.

The woman looked them over with some disinterest. She took a long drag on her cigarette, and then flicked the spent cancer stick away, and grinned a bloodthirsty thing. "You were brave to come here, little brats. Brave, but very, _very_ stupid. Caster, attack."

His grin grew wider. "As my Master commands!"

In a flash, he had vanished.

Archer's arrow left it's bow, thunder boomed, and fishhook met bow in a great clang and clamor.

Meanwhile, Touko Aozaki turned to Rin and Shirou. As she did, her hand and eyes began to glow. "Ready to play, kids?"

* * *

Rin raised her hand in a shooting motion, and quickly fired off a Gandr at the Magus, determined to at least go down fighting.

The shot fizzled out before it even reached the powerful magus. She smirked, and her eyes flashed.

In the next moment, a thousand little flashes went shooting out. Rin and Shirou dived in opposite directions, barely managing to avoid getting shredded.

Rin tumbled and kept running, reinforcement giving speed to her limbs.

Those were Gandr. How did the woman know that spell? She wasn't using any gemstones!

Rin kept running. Then, she crouched behind a wall for a moment.

The woman's voice then called out, and from the sound of her distant footsteps, which, for some reason Rin could hear quite clearly despite the noise of the Servant's battle, the magus was walking at a nice and leisurely pace, as if she were doing little more than taking a stroll through a park. "Hey, little girl. You're a Tohsaka, aren't you?"

A sudden flash of fire net to her sent Rin scrambling away. "I am. I am Rin Tohsaka, the Second owner of Fuyuki City! What's it to you, Touko Aozaki?"

"Just curious. I knew your father, once. He was a very genteel sort of fool."

As Rin turned the corner, she found herself face to face with the magus.

Aozaki grinned, as she raised her hand. "Hi."

* * *

Several arrows shot forward, arcing through the air in ways that arrows normally could not fly, if they were shot by an ordinary, imperfect archer. Of course, Arjuna was no normal Archer, and so, any arrow he shot could never fly and arc through the air in a normal, imperfect way.

The brawny Caster either dodged them, swatted the missile aside, or blasted them out of the air with swiftly spoken spells. Through it all, the Polynesian Servant bellowed with laughter.

It seemed that this Holy Grail War had no shortage of battle-loving fools. It was almost familiar, in a strange way.

Arjuna had faced many powerful enemies in his life; Chitrasena, Krishna, Bhagadatta… _him_.

This Servant of the Spell seemed to be just as deadly. In fact, he reminded the son of Indra a bit of his older brother, Bhima, if only in strength.

Unlike his older brother, however, this spellcasting brute seemed to possess far less skill and finesse, though he more than made up for it in pure speed and strength.

The fishhook collided with Gandiva, the divine bow more than holding up to the strange weapon.

"You are quite strong for a bowman. I was not expecting an Archer to be in possession of such strength," the Caster said.

"And I was not expecting a Caster to be fighting up close like this!"

The Servant of the Spell laughed, and they parted, each leaping back, with Spellcaster skidding back on the hard ground with bare feet. "What can I say? I excel at defeating the expectations of others!"

Through his clairvoyance, Arjuna knew that Assassin was trailing behind them, and getting closer to the back of the brawny Caster, a dagger ready to plunge into his tattooed back.

Though he did not turn, the Caster smirked.

Suddenly, a pillar of earth shot up like a ballistic missile and intercepted the invisible assassin, making the skull-faced man go flying backwards. The Caster then laughed. "Very audacious to attempt to sneak up on me, Assassin, and in the middle of my Territory no less. Audacious, but ultimately futile!"

He then raised his giant fish-hook upwards, to the cloudy sky. "Hekili!"

The world flashed, and the swing from the hook let loose a great blast of sound, like thunder. Arjuna was sent crashing into a nearby wall.

Perhaps it was time to get a little more serious.

As the Caster sped forward, Archer closed his eyes briefly. "Oh, Agni."

The world was then born of flame, rising into a towering inferno that enveloped the rushing Servant of the Spell, but the Caster just laughed as he leapt through the immolation, his tattoos glowing an ocean green. He kept laughing even as a few arrows managed to impale themselves into his chest. His tattoos glowed, and the arrows crumbled to dust.

Bow met fishhook with another clang, and the Servant was still laughing.

…No, he would not lose. He was perfect. He was Arjuna, the Son of Indra! He was the most Perfect Hero!

With one hand still holding onto Gandiva, he used the other to swiftly knock an arrow, and pulled down on the string, despite the awkward angle.

 **Agni Gandiva!**

The Caster went soaring back, and flames engulfed him once again!

There was still laughter, even as he collided hard with the ground.

Arjuna sped forward, more arrows already flying and arcing through the air, straight and true.

He would win this, and it would be done in a perfect way and manner.

It had to be.

* * *

In the scuffle, as the pillar sent him flying back through the air, none noticed as Assassin unwound the cloth from around his right arm. Not one of the combatants saw as an _exceptionally_ long arm snaked out and managed to brush lightly against the red-headed woman's chest, so lightly that she did not feel a thing.

When it retreated, it now held an exact replica of the beating organ, and the Servant of Assassination then whispered a single word that thrummed a with a deadly power….

* * *

With reinforcement hastening her legs, Rin took the opportunity to try and get in close to land a blow.

Touko may have been terrifyingly powerful, but she was still a magus, and, if so, that meant that whne it came to hand to hand, she would be susceptible.

The smirk never fell from her face as the Aozaki casually blocked and dodged each blow, her eyes glowing a soft blue.

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?"

Rin didn't even see her move. All she would recall was that, in the next moment, a palm must have slammed into her chest, and she was flying.

As Rin tumbled and landed face first against a wall, courtesy of that inhumanly strong blow, she was suddenly restrained by chains of pure power. She heard Aozaki's measured footsteps, and the bindings flipped her around, so that she was face to face with the Elder Magus.

Shirou tried to rush the red-headed woman, but he instead received a casual backhand that sent him flying.

What kind of magus was she?

Touko Aozaki's eyes roved over Rin's bound form. "You are kind of pretty for Tohsaka. Know what, I think that I'll keep your corpse, and turn it into a lovely new doll. Now, hold still. There will probably be some momentary discomfort."

Aozaki's hand began to glow with a sickly miasma that mixed with the glow of her command seals….

* * *

 **Zabaniya (Delusional Heartbeart)**

He crushed the heart in his hands, and the organ erupted into a small geyser of blood….

* * *

If she was going to die here, then Rin was determined to at least die with her eyes wide open. That seemed to make Aozaki only grin wider. "Just like your father…"

Her hand was now less than a foot from Rin's face.

Then, a blast of energy pulsed through the air. Aozaki's hand stopped glowing, and the arrogant look on her face was replaced with one of pure shock.

They all watched in silence as the red-headed woman clutched her chest, staggered, coughed up a good amount of blood and then collapsed to the ground with a thud, a bloody hole where her heart was supposed to be. For a moment, no one said anything. Shirou looked horrified at what had just happened.

Rin could not help but let loose a bubble of nervous laughter, as the energy restring her dissipated. They had done it! They had killed Touko Aozaki, the magus that all the Association was deathly afraid of.

This could solidify her reputation for years to come! Yes! Plus, she had also killed the one who must have been responsible for bounded field, and the attack on that girl, and maybe some of the serial killings, though she had no proof as of yet.

Meanwhile, the fight between Archer and Caster stopped, and the Servant of the Spell walked slowly towards the woman's body.

For a long moment, the woman's Servant just stared at her corpse, his grip upon his fishhook tight. Then, the Caster turned towards them with rage and fire in his eyes. Archer readied another arrow, and Assassin prepared a few knives.

Rin was not too worried. With his master dead, the Servant of the Spell would probably fade away soon enough, and that would just quicken if he burned out his prana by continuing to fight. From here on out, things should be much, much easi…

They then heard the sound of slow clapping. It was the sort of applause that signified that someone was both impressed… and not impressed.

Rin could not believe her eyes as the source of the clapping slowly emerged from the shadows…. It was Touko Aozaki.

But how?! She was dead. Her body was right in front of them!

The woman smirked, as she casually trod over the corpse that looked like her and lit up a new cigarette, while behind her, rays of gold unfolded like giant wings, while her eyes turned a deep and terrifying **Blue**. Her command seals glowed like a bloody fire. "You can kill me as many times as you want, kiddos, and it won't matter, because I'll just keep coming back."

Overhead, thunder boomed, and then, behind her loomed a giant made of muscle and lightning. He grinned at them with a mouth of fangs, and lightning flashed.

Another Servant!

Aozaki then gestured, and to Rin's shock, all the damage about them was being undone, like a video in reverse...

This woman… she wasn't human… she was a monster! They couldn't fight this! Rin's legs began to shake.

Touko Aozaki looked with her Blue eyes at the two masters and their servants, as her wings began to glow brighter. "If I were you two, you little brats…. I would start running, and never come back. So… shoo."

At that moment, though Rin managed to keep herlsef from running away screaming from this monster in human form in pure fright, she instead settled for an undignified dash through a tactical retreat, as she would later tell herself. Shirou was right behind her, and Archer and Assassin following in astral form.

Their flight was followed by the sounds of Touko Aozaki's laughter, as well as the booming and crashing of thunder and lightning.

* * *

From her room in the mansion, Illya, Lugh, Sella, and Leysritt looked at the mystical projection as the battle came to its end, and the Masters of Archer and Assassin fled from the Master of Caster, as well as from the strange second Rider. The Einzbern princess's eyes were glued to the image of the Tohsaka master's red-headed companion.

He fit the information that grandpa had shared with her, all those years ago.

"Red hair…"

* * *

Touko Aozaki watched the brats and their servants flee, and chuclked around her smouldering cigarette. "Not bad, Maui. That was nice little performance."

The Polynesian demigod beamed at her with pride at her praise. "I thank you Master. That was a very fun little battle. That Archer was a true treat to fight."

"Good to hear. Of course, next time, be sure not to hold back."

Waver Velvet then came walking out, as his Rider gave him a wave of his large hand, a grin, and then faded into astral form. "Was that dog-and-pony show really necessary, Aozaki? Those two won't be deterred for long. They are teenagers after all."

"You might be right about that, but it was a very good bit of fun. Seeing pure terror on a person's face is a very enjoyable thing for me."

That made him sigh. "May I ask why those two punks were even here?"

She shrugged. "Best guess, it was because they encountered a few of my familiars at that school of theirs, and then, for some reason, drew a stupid and erroneous conclusion that I'm the one who made that girl jump, as well as perhaps some of the other weird stuff going on in this strange little city, and that I'm probably also responsible for the inactive bounded field."

"And are you?"

She chuckled and blew a small cloud of smoke in his direction, which he waved off with an annoyed grimace. "What do you think, Velvet?"

"You really want me to answer that question, Aozaki?"

She shrugged. "Believe what you will, but I can tell you that I have no reason to be doing such things at the moment."

"Perhaps, but when has that ever really stopped you?"

She waved off the sardonic question. "Whatever. Let me know when Alice gets back, okay? Good boy."

She laughed at the annoyed expression on his face, and then turned to walk away, Caster at her side like a dutiful butler. Velvet was always such fun to rile up at times. Maybe one day, he would let her examine those daemon legs of his…

Oh well, she could wait. Time was always on her side, after all.

Thanks, Aoko.

Heh.

* * *

As the Elder Magus vanished back into the temple, Waver massaged his temples.

For the umpteenth time, he wondered how he had gotten mixed up in all of this, and more specifically mixed up with the likes of her.

* * *

Kirei and his friend watched the projected image of the battle and its aftermath, courtesy of one of Gilgamesh's myriad Noble Phantasms. "A most impressive display by all parties, even if your ward and her companion ended up running with their tails between their legs."

"Indeed, your grace, though the woman may be quite troublesome down the road."

"Oh? Do you know her?"

"Not personally, but I know of her. She is ludicrously powerful, and even I almost shudder at the thought of having to face in battle. Besides, as we have just seen, she is extraordinarily difficult to kill."

The King of Heroes chuckled. "So, it would appear. I find her intriguing. Perhaps humanity has not become totally degraded and unworthy in this day and age."

As they watched the woman walk away, she suddenly stopped, and then, seemed to look right at them, smiled, and blew a kiss, her eyes glowing Blue.

"Most intriguing."

* * *

It was fine. It was fine, it was fine, it was fine. This was real, this was all real.

She was sitting down. It had felt like she had fallen asleep, but that was stupid. There was alit cigarette in her hand. You never fell asleep with a lit cigarette, right?

Wait, was this real?

….. She blinked her eyes.

…. Yes, it was real… real.

Maybe today, she would leave the room. Go down the stairs, get some fresh air.

Gingerly, she stood up from the room's couch, and doused her current cigarette.

She went to her door; red, with a gold handle…. Yeah, it was red.

She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Now, where was the elevator again. She felt like she had not been out of her room in ages. With a tired groan, she set off to find the elevator, or at least some stairs.

As she walked along, she idly noted the other doors, and the long, winding red hallways, which was adorned and decorated with the type of art that was too good to be terrible, and yet too terrible to be good, and thus settled into that strange and maudlin niche known as 'bland.'

Red… red?

…. Wait, hadn't the hallway been green, before?

 _Scratch…. scritch._

What was that?

She held a hand out, as if she were going to throw something. Wait, why was she doing that?

What were those thuds? Was that?

She saw fangs, and claws.

She screamed.

She died.

* * *

It was fine. It was fine, it was fine, it was fine. This was real, this was all real.

She was sitting down. It had felt like she had fallen asleep, but that was stupid. There was alit cigarette in her hand. You never fell asleep with a lit cigarette, right?

Wait, was this real?

….. She blinked her eyes.

…. Yes, it was real… real.

Maybe today, she would leave the room. Go down the stairs, get some fresh air.

Gingerly, she stood up from the room's couch, and doused her current cigarette.

She went to her door; red, with a gold handle…. Yeah, it was red.

She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Now, where was the elevator again. She felt like she had not been out of her room in ages. With a tired groan, she set off to find the elevator, or at least some stairs.

As she walked along, she idly noted the other doors, and the long, winding red hallways, which was adorned and decorated with the type of art that was too good to be terrible, and yet too terrible to be good, and thus settled into that strange and maudlin niche known as 'bland.'

Blue… blue?

…. Wait, hadn't the hallway been red, before?

 _Scratch…. scritch._

What was that?

She held a hand out, as if she were going to throw something. Wait, why was she doing that?

What were those thuds? What was that?

She saw fangs, and claws.

She screamed.

She died.

* * *

It was fine. It was fine, it was fine, it was fine. This was real, this was all real….

Yellow? She thought they had been blue….

* * *

White? She thought they had been yellow…

* * *

This was real, this was all real….

* * *

… _As the boy grew, he continued to do everything perfectly, especially when it came to the art of archery. People continued to lavish great praise and great gifts upon him._

 _His teacher praised him, when he fought the imaginary crocodile._

 _Even the gods praised him._

 _They praised him endlessly._

 _Why?_

 _In time, he grew numb, for there was no challenge anymore._

 _They were about to depart for the Kuru kingdom. Perhaps something would happen then…._

* * *

Rin had barely managed to get any sleep for the remainder of that night, and what little sleep she did get had been more from pure exhaustion than from anything else. If she had not been so exhausted, then she doubted that she would have fallen asleep due to pure terror.

But the next day still came, and she still woke up, though there were now heavy bags under her eyes.

Stupid dreams.

Ayako of course teased her about it. At least she was feeling better, despite the heavy bandage around the girl's neck.

She didn't talk much to Shirou that day, and, when school let out, she saw him walk out with Sakura Matou.

* * *

As always, Shirou and Sakura were walking to her house. The sun was slowly setting, despite school having been let out an hour earlier, because he had bought her an ice cream. That had been nice. Aside from She could not remember the last time someone had done that for her. Or really, had done anything nice for her. Ayako tried, but she was still busy a lot.

"I am glad to see that you're feeling better, Sakura."

Better? That was a way of looking at it, though she did not think that she would ever truly be "better."

Shinji had not been home in the past few days. Grandfather had not care much, beyond a cursory observation that Shinji was not at the house.

All that really happened was an increase in her training.

 _Wriggle, squelch._ A thousand upon a thousand skittering little legs and withering, slimy little bodies…

"Sakura? Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

They walked on for a bit. She could feel his eyes studying her. "I was just thinking."

"Oh, what about?" he asked.

"It's just that… I'm a bit surprised that you're still walking me home, Shirou, since I've noticed you spending so much time with Rin Tohsaka lately…"

"I know about the Holy Grail War, Sakura."

That stopped her dead in her tracks.

There was an honest look in his eye as he put his hand on her shoulder in a gentle manner. "I know about the three familes. Rin told me, and I am a part of it. I know about the horrors that this War entails."

"… If you do, then why have you not gotten your Servant to attack me. I could be a Master, for all you know. You won't get a better chance."

The look he gave he was one that was horrified at that suggestion. "I'm not going to do that. I would never do that to you."

"Why?"

He stopped and looked her dead in the eye. "Because I know you, the kind of person that you are. I know that you're too kind to ever want to be involved in such a terrible and brutal contest. But if you are… then I don't care. I care for you Sakura. You're the first person that I met when I came to this city. My first real friend. If you are involved, then I will do my best to protect you. I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you."

The worst part about it was that he sounded so sincere.

What could she say, in that moment, even as he removed his hand from her shoulder, and they kept walking?

Why were there tears running down her face?

Without letting him see, she wiped them away. Why was he like this? Why was someone so good being so kind to a thing like her?

Why did her heart feel so strange?

Afterwards, they reached the front gate, and like always, he briefly put his hand on the front bar, and pushed it open so she could enter.

He was sucha good person... she could not let him get heart in this War... She would protect him.

As she reached the front door of her… home, Sakura suddenly heard a yell of surprise and a grunt of pain from the front gate.

When Sakura turned back, it was to the sight of two women in white carrying away an unconscious Shirou.

They already were well away when she screamed.

* * *

As she walked home, Rin pondered what the next move was going to be. Aozaki was obviously the biggest threat in this war, with her overpowered Caster, and that other giant, unknown Servant.

A hurried tapping on her shoulder interrupted her musings…. And also might have made Rin jump slightly in surprise. It was Assassin, and despite his mask, he seemed almost panicked, even as Archer suddenly slammed him into a wall. "Do not touch my Master, Assassin!"

Rin ignored him. "What do you want?"

What the skeletal man said next made her blood run cold. "My master has been taken!"

* * *

 _Later_

Rider followed the road from the city into the forest, his armor silent due to being in astral form.

This was a rescue mission, and it felt good. It reminded him of serving under his just and noble lord and king.

He had been a little shocked when _she_ had reached out to him for help. Aside from the summoning, and despite the fact that his true loyalty lay only with her, The Servant of the Mount had had very little interaction with his true summoner, though not by choice.

Damn those command seals, damn that snot-nosed little boy, and damn that Старый червь. It seemed that the Makiri's had not changed from when Rider had known that wretched family of worms, back in the days of old, in the cold steppes of his homeland. Were he able to, he would have burned them all to ash, pilfered their treasures, and then... no, that was not who he was any more. Still, he was incensed.

Since this War had begun, Rider had been forced to act in ways much like he used to, before having met his lord, and at the whim of a monster and his wretched progeny. Right now, though, this felt right. He was on a just mission, to help save one who was closest to his master's heart. This… this was righteous. As he sped forward, his senses allowing him to track the boy, a blast of fire suddenly exploded in front of him. he leapt back, axe and shield already in hand, though still in astral form.

Where had that come from?

"Yo, up here!"

Rider looked up. It was the bestial Lancer, who waved in his direction, while standing on a branch of one of the forest's endless trees. "Howdy! You can come out of spirit form. I could smell you from a mile away, Rider!"

He dematerialized. "Get out of my way, Lanccccer," Rider hissed.

The hunter grinned. "Hey now, don't be so rude. Can't a couple of ancient heroes just take a moment to have a nice chat? There's a great deal we could talk about, after all. For instance, maybe you can tell me what you're up to?"

"It'ssss none of your concccern. Now, Lassst chancccce, Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"

Lancer gave a few twirls of his spear, and then shook his grey head. "Nah, that's not going to happen, and for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because I need a good fight. Secondly because I saw what you did to those girls on the order of that stupid little master of yours, and even I have a line that I don't cross. Finally, you don't smell human, and as a hunter, I just couldn't pass up a hunt like this. In fact, you smell very familiar, and it's the scent of something that I haven't fought in a very long time."

Since the war had begun, Rider had been made to endure and suffer through one disgusting situation after another; enslaved to the whims a stupid boy and that damned Makiri bastard; forced to drain the blood of innocent people; being easily defeated by that inhuman swordswoman; but, most of all, being unable to serve his true master as a proper bogatyr should.

So, right now? Rider needed an outlet for his great and mighty rage.

How fortuitous that one had just presented itself.

His vocal response to Lancer's declaration was a blast of fire from his throat, before charging forward, axe and shield at the ready!

* * *

Sella and Leysritt had dragged their quarry back to the mansion about several minutes ago and had secured him to one of the castle's ornate chairs.

He was just now starting to wake up.

Illya patted Lugh's side. "You know what to do, boy."

The wolf nodded and stalked into the bewildered boy's eyesight. Shirou Emiya's eyes went very wide at the sight

The giant wolf slowly padded up to the bound boy, a deep growl rumbling in its throat, and his fangs on full and slow display. Now, the boy was starting to shake with fear, trying in vain to pull away from the large golden canine, as his hands gripped the armrests that they were tied to.

If he kept rocking like that, he was bound to fall over, and maybe break the chair. That would be unacceptable; that chair was part of a set, after all.

So, at that moment, after smoothing her purple dress, Illya decided that now was the time to make her entrance. She cleared her throat, and, with a nice smile on her face, walked into the now very terrified boy's eyesight, as Lugh continued to pretend to terrify him. Leysritt quietly followed behind her. "You have to excuse Lugh. He's usually quite tame. It's just that he hates things that make me upset."

"…Upset?"

"Yep, and, sadly, I find a lot of things make me very upset nowadays. Things like liars, killers, cheaters, and children that steal the rightful things and positions of other children. You understand, right, Shirou Emiya?"

Why was he looking at her like she was crazy? "What are you talking about? Also, what did you just call me?"

She patted him lightly on the cheek. "I'm talking about you, silly goose. You are Shirou Emiya. You are who my papa, Kiritsugu Emiya, replaced me with. You stole him from me. You know who he is, right?"

He looked very confused and shook his head. "I don't know who Kiritsugu Emiya is! I don't even know who you are! Also, that's not my name!"

Illya snapped her fingers, and then Leysritt slapped the boy across the face, hard enough to bruise, his prayer beads rattling from the blow. Reinforcement was a fun thing to use when your homunculus maid slapped someone. Illya's smile remained on her face, and she even chuckled a bit. "Don't lie to me, Shirou Emiya, or I'll feed you to Lugh."

Her friend then growled, for emphasis.

"I'm not lying to you, I swear! I don't even know who you are!"

Leysritt slapped him again, this time drawing blood from his lip. "My name is Illyasviel Von Einzbern. I am the daughter of Kiritsugu Emiya, and you, Shirou Emiya, are a liar and a thief. Now, tell me the truth!

All he did was give more stupid excuses, each of which was rewarded with another blow from Leysritt. At one point, he even spat out a tooth.

This was probably going to take a while. Oh well, at least it would be fun to watch, that is, until her next guest showed up.

In preparation, Heracles and Beowulf both materialized, drawing a yelp of fear and surprise from the incapacitated Shriou Emiya, though the yelp quickly turned into another pained noise as Leysritt slapped him again, this time right on the eye.

* * *

Thanks to the Master-Servant Connection, Assassin had a good idea of where Shirou had been taken.

In the distance, there was great explosion of fire.

No, she could not afford to get distracted at the moment. The important thing was rescuing Shirou.

Archer carried her in his arms and he and Assassin sped through the forest.

Eventually, they came to where it seemed that Shirou had been taken. It was a little odd to see a large European-style castle in the depths of a Japanese forest, but that was not important. Rin knew what this place was. It was listed in her family's notes on the Grail War, after all.

The Einzbern Castle, a fortress belonging to the Einzbern Family, one of the three founding Families. This was the Einzbern Castle

When Rin, Archer, and Assassin entered the mansion, and up the stairs into another room she found a strange sight; two giant men, a massive wolf with golden fur and emerald eyes that was snarling at her, Shirou tied to a chair, and what looked like a little girl with long white hair and red hair, while a taller woman slapped Shirou.

She recognized an Einzbern when she saw one though.

The girl smiled at her, ignoring the fact that blood was dripping from the hand of the woman dressed like a maid, the blood no doubt having come from the rather bruised Shirou, who groaned in what must have been relief at Rin's arrival, as he peekd at her with a black eye. "Hello Tohsaka. I would like to propose an alliance between the three of us."

….

….

What?

* * *

 _Later_

Rin watched as Shirou gingerly put an icepack to his black eye, and he groaned as he sank into the couch, while Assassin diligently bandaged some of his master's other wounds and bruises. That Einzbern brat had really done a number on him, but luckily, none of it was anything that was remotely fatal.

"Thanks for rescuing me," the Buddhist said. "I'll be sure to remember you in my prayers."

"Well, you are my apprentice, after all, and I can't be expected to do any less. Why did she do all of this to you, anyway?"

"She thought that I was someone else."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Someone named Shirou Emiya?"

…. Why did that name sound familiar?

Whatever.

"Are you going to accept that offer of hers?" he asked.

* * *

 _Earlier_

 _"Are you fucking serious?" Rin exclaimed, not screeched, while Archer and Assassin prepared for battle_

 _In response, the two giants both growled, and raised their very large weapons. However, all that the Einzbern did was chuckle, and raise a dainty hand to make the two brutes stand down. "Calm down, you silly Berserkers."_

 _Rin was beginning to get really sick of people chuckling at her. Then, she realized that the girl had used the plural of Berserker._

 _Crap._

 _The Einzbern girl then looked right at her. "Of course, I am very serious. I watched your fight against Touko Aozaki. It was almost pitiful to watch how hopelessly outclassed you were. As such, I can do nothing less than offer my help. We do have our pride as members of the Founding Families, after all."_

 _"What the hell makes you think that I'd even accept?! Especially after what you just did to my ally?"_

 _"Oh, you mean this?" With a nod of the Einzbern's little head, her maid unbound the softly groaning Shirou form the chair, who then slid to the ground with a thud, his hands resting on the hardwood ground._

 _With the smile still on her face, the little girl kicked him in the ribs, eliciting a louder groan from him._

 _Assassin looked about ready to stab his daggers into the little monster's eyes. Rin almost felt the same._

 _The white-haired girl tittered. "He's just a liar and a thief, though he has yet to confess his crimes. But no matter, I was starting to get a little bored playing with him. You can take him and leave if you want, though I think I might have broken him a bit. Silly me."_

 _Tentatively, Rin made her way over, slid her arm under his shoulders, and hefted up the bruised and broken teen, who was still groaning._

 _She then passed him into Assassin's stronger, and surprisingly gentle, grip, the four left._

 _As they did, the Einzbern called out. "I'd seriously consider my offer if I were you, Tohsaka. You're going to need all the help you can get in this war, especially against the likes of Touko Aozaki!"_

* * *

"…I don't know, Shirou. It is a tempting offer."

"After what she did to me? She had her _maid_ beat me just because she thought I was someone else."

"I am very aware. Look, I just need to think for a bit."

"Okay. Just… try and make the right decision, alright?"

"Of course. See you tomorrow, Shirou."

His servant gingerly helped him stand. "See you tomorrow, Rin."

As he left, Rin briefly wondered what had caused that fiery explosion that she had briefly seen earlier...

* * *

The site of Lancer and Rider's battle was little more than a flaming wreck, with burned devastation stretching out for at least a mile.

The two stood across from each other, and both actually panting a bit from exertion.

Lancer, with blood dripping from a dozen wounds of various sizes all across his grey skin, and sizzling as it hit the ground, leaned on his spear, and laughed. "I knew it. You some sort of dragon or something?"

With one of his eyes sealed shut from a slash, Rider glared at the Servant of the Lance. "Why doesss that matter to you?"

"Just wondering how the hell a thing like you even got summoned into a Holy Grail War."

"… I heard a plea for help, and, I could do naught but accccccept."

That got a chuckle out of Lancer. "An honorable dragon that wants to do the right thing, huh? That's a new one. If you can tell me, then what's your name?"

Rider looked at the bestial Servant of the Lance, and then grunted. "Tugarin."

"Nice name. Never heard of you."

As their wounds healed, Lancer picked up his spear, and leveled it at the Servant of the Mount. "Ready for round two, lizard boy?"

Tugarin Zmei Gorynych, a follower of Dobrynya Nikitich, and a friend of Alyosha, shook his head. "No. My massster has called me back. My tasssk isss at an end, for now."

Rider sheathed his axe, and then swiftly raised his hand to the sky as he leaped into the air.

 **Krylataya Loshad!**

A blast of white light made Lancer momentarily shut his eyes out of reflex, though he heard the flapping of wings, the sound of hoofbeats, neighing, and… was that paper rustling?

When he opened them, all he saw was Rider swiftly speeding away on a winged horse, that looked like it was made out of paper.

Lancer chuckled. A dragon with a paper horse, huh? "Till next time."

* * *

As Rider rode his steed away, he hoped that his true master would not look unkindly upon this.

Besides, he knew that the boy had already been rescued.

Next time, the Lancer, and that strange Saber would feel his full might….

* * *

 _He hated this. He hated this task, he hated what he had become, and he hated the one who forced him to do this._

 _He lined up his shot, sighted his quarry down the arrow, breathed…_

 _He was sorry, but he had no choice._

 _He hated doing this._

 _**"Trace On."**_

* * *

 **A/N: You wanted Shiki, and she has appeared, if only in mention. Not to worry though. As a bit of a spoiler, she will appear, in body, and in a vital role. After all, a thing in this tory will be in desperate need of killing.**

 **There is also a reason why I capitalized the word Blue in regard to Touko. Think about it for a moment, let the dots connect, and then quiver in terror. That, or the fact that Gilgamesh of all people is interested in her. Or perhaps those last two, ever so famous, words.**

 **A/NN. Made a few changes.**

Caster: Maui

Master: Touko Aozaki

 **STATS**

STR: A

AGI: A

END: A

MAN: A

LCK: B

N.P.: A

 **Class Skills**

Territory Creation: EX

Item Construction: B+

 **Personal Skills**

Shapeshift: A

Monstrous Strength (False): A+

High-Speed Divine Words: B

Divinity: A

 **Noble Phantasms**

Manaiakalani (Fang that Touched the Womb of Mother Earth): A (EX) Anti-Divine, Anti-country

· Hāhau-uru (Search for the West Wind): A, Anti-Army

· Hāhau-tangaroa: A

· Hāhau-whenua: A

· Haleakalā: A+++

* * *

1st Rider: Tugarin Zmei Gorynych

 **STATS**

STR: B+ (EX)

AGI: B (A+, A+++)

END A (EX)

MAN: C (EX)

LCK: E

N.P.: EX

 **Class Skills**

Riding: A+

Magic Resistance: A

 **Personal Skills**

Burden of the Dragon Kind: EX. (Composite of Battle Continuation B+, Mana Burst Flame A, Monstrous strength A+, Clairvoyance C, wisdom of divine gift B, and Breath of the Dragon B)

Knowledge of Melee: A

Disengage: B

 **Noble Phantasms**

Krylataya Loshad: B+

Zmeye Bogartyr: EX


	7. Chapter 7

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 6

Daisuke waited at the airport terminal, a sign in his hand. Several minutes later, a beautiful woman in her early thirties, dressed in a traditional and simple pink and red kimono, appeared. He saw her, waved, and then strode over to help her with her baggage. "Shiki. It's been too long."

The long-haired woman gave him a warm embrace. "It's good to see you again, Daisuke."

After returning the hug, Daisuke scratched the back of his head. "It's great to see you too, Shiki. Though, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't Mikiya and Mana come with you on this little trip?"

She simply smiled. "It's fine. They understand that, sometimes, there are things that I need to do myself…"

* * *

Lancer returned to the Apartment, full of good and happy cheer. "Master! I return bearing some good news! I had a great battle, and, in the process,

The room was a complete and utter wreck. The bed was in tatters; half the floorboards were ripped out; all the mirrors and dishes had been smashed, and by hand, it seemed; and, currently, Bazett Fraga McRemitiz was doing her very best to hack apart the walls with a fire axe. She was also screaming something about colors.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lancer exclaimed, as he wrested the axe away from her, though she didn't really seem to notice.

Even after she lost the axe, she actually kept on attacking the wall with her bare hands, ripping bloody furrows into it with broken fingernails. As she did, she just kept screaming. "This can't be real, it can't be! It's all a fucking illusion! What color are the walls?!"

"Master! Calm down!" Lancer rushed forward and grabbed her by her wrists.

She then turned and looked right at him. Her maroon eyes were a curious mixture of jaundiced and bloodshot. She looked and smelled as if she had not bathed, slept, or even changed, for days.

"What colors are the walls?" she whispered. She was trembling.

"What?"

"What color are the walls?! **Tell me what color the fucking walls are!"**

Out of the corner of his eye, Lancer watched as one of his master's three command seals vanished. Then, the order took hold of him, and he found himself looking closely at the torn-up walls. "Blue… I think."

That did not help, as she wrested away and then hugged herself, walking aimlessly about the wrecked apartment. "Blue? It was red… no it was white… then yellow… green… purple… blue… yellow… red… amber… green, blue, black, white…. Scritch, scratch… what color are the fucking walls?!"

How long had she been like this? "… Master? Are you okay?"

She looked at him again, and there was a strained, yet lucid, look in her eyes. "Tell me straight, Celtchar. Do you sense anything about this place, about the walls?"

That was an odd question. "No. I told you the day you moved in here. There was nothing strange about here. It even smelled normal."

That seemed to have been the wrong thing to say, because, in the next moment, that deranged look returned. "You're lying."

"What? No, Master, I'm not…"

"You're lying! You're lying to me!"

She then actually traced a small rune and blasted a burst of air at him. If he were still human, it would have sent him off his feet, and well as probably strip a layer of skin from his face.

"Master stop it! You've got to calm down!"

"Fuck off Celtchar! Just **Leave me alone and get the fuck out of here**!"

As she screamed out the command, a second seal on her hand glowed and vanished into a shapeless smudge.

Even with his Independent Action, all he could do was follow the order, and, the next thing he knew, he was standing outside the apartments, the orders still suffusing through his being.

He looked up at the spherical building and sighed.

What the hell was going on with her?

What the hell was going on in this city?

* * *

Good, he was gone. Stupid fuck.

He had not been her first choice. She had wanted her hero, the Hound of Ireland. But the clan elders would not give her the proper catalyst.

Setanta would have believed her. Cu Chulainn would have seen the walls. He would have…

Wait… what color were they now?

 _Scritch, scratch…_

She screamed…

* * *

Good, he was gone. Stupid fuck.

He had not been her first choice. She had wanted her hero, the knight of Fianna. But the clan elders would not give her the proper catalyst.

He would have believed her. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne would have seen the walls. He would have…

Wait… what color were they now?

Wait… Diarmuid?

 _Scritch, scratch…_

She screamed…

* * *

 _He was small for his age, and the other children alternated between picking on him, or staying as far away from him as they could._

 _So, what if he was really strong? So, what if he had hurt a few of them in the past? That didn't mean they had to be so horrible to him, right?_

 _It didn't matter though, as long as his brother was around. His brother was the best, and always was there for him…_

* * *

With a groan, Waver woke up, and rubbed at his eyes.

Those damn dreams again. Why was he having them? He had been through all this crap before. More to the point, it was the exact same crap as before.

He could already feel a migraine coming on.

 _"Good morning, daddy." "Morning!"_

He sighed. "Morning, you two."

After a quick shower, he was dressed and walking about the temple courtyard. The monks greeted him cordially. The fact that Rider was out of astral form went unnoticed, courtesy of some handy spell work by Touko. To their minds, the giant did not even register.

"Hey, there Master! What's the plan for today?"

"Not sure. I for one, am going for a walk."

That had not been the answer the Rider must have been expecting. "Really? You don't want to go out and hunt down some other Servants? I'm starting to get bored here."

"No, I have absolutely no desire to do that. Besides, I promised Touko that we would not go and fight any of the other Masters and Servants unless she said so, and when Lady Blue tells you to not do something, you damn well make sure you obey."

The giant Rider studied him for a moment, a somber expression on his bearded face. "What happened to you, Waver? What changed you from that earnest, gung-ho, and ambitious boy that I met, all those years ago?"

"You really want to know what happened to me, Rider?"

Waver gestured to his eye and legs. "I entered the Holy Grail War, as a stupid kid; I summoned you; then, in less than 48 hours, I lost my legs. Then, after being made to work alongside a mass murderer, and watching you die, a certain golden megalomaniac tore out my eye and threw me into the fucking river!"

* * *

 _From their vantage point, Rider and Waver watched as the King of Heroes approached the bridge._

 _"Huh, looks like Lancer's sneaky little Master was right after all. Here comes the shiny man now."_

 _With that, Rider strode out to meet the First, his weapon in hand. They met eyes as both walked upon the bridge. They each strode forward until they were several kilometers apart from the other._

 _The two stood there, facing one another. Demigod to demigod._

 _"Let me pass, Rider. The king commands it."_

 _"No."_

 _That got the Golden man's attention. "Excuse me?"_

 _"I know that it's not a word you're accustomed to hearing, Goldie, so I'll say it again; no. I will not let you pass."_

 _The rage upon the Golden man's face was a palpable thing that seemed to shake the air itself. Yet, there was also another emotion, evident in the raising of one of his perfect eyebrows. "Do you not know who I am, mongrel?"_

 _"I do, and I care not. I care not if you are the First Hero. I would care not if you were the fucking All-Father himself! My master and I swore to guard this bridge, and to deny you entry! You can bring all your power against me, and I will never retreat, not even from the likes of one such as you! So, come at me, Gilgamesh, King of Nothing, and I will show you the true meaning of courage and strength! Come at me if you so dare, knowing that you shall not pass by me unscathed!"_

 _The King of Heroes looked upon the giant for a moment, a flurry of emotions raging from dominance in his mind, while his face remained impassive. It was a long moment, and then… he laughed. He laughed long and hard, it was a beautiful and terrible thing to hear, that laughter. "Such grandiose bravado, Rider! I could expect nothing from the son of the Thunder God!"_

 _Then, he stopped laughing, and his red and brown eyes grew a hard edge. "As such, it is only right that I completely and utterly_ **eradicate** _you for your insolence and insult against the King's person!"_

 _Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed, while the sky filled with gold…._

* * *

The giant rider was silent as Waver vented. Then, as the magus started to walk off, the Rider spoke up again. "How did you survive?"

"… I sold my soul to a vampire and a lazy daemon. That's all you need to know. Look, I'm going to go for a walk, by myself. If I need you, then I'll use a fucking seal, okay?"

Without waiting for his reply, Waver stormed off down the mountain steps, while Rider vanished into blue motes.

Why had he become wrapped up in this fucking bloodsport again?

* * *

 _Later_

Despite himself, Waver could not help but be impressed with how Fuyuki City had grown in the last ten years, and how it had bounced back from the devastation of the Fourth War.

His legs could not help but 'look' at everything around them with a great and childish excitement. Their happy cries resounded in his head. They even made him crack a small grin.

He had just finished a nice Italian meal at a café with a rather unpronounceable name. Now, he figured that it was about time that he headed back, now that he felt that his anger had cooled.

"The fact that you survived being thrown into the water is truly astounding, mongrel. Well done."

That voice…. No.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Waver Velvet slowly turned around, and beheld a figure that he had expected, and hoped, to never see again.

The man that was approaching him was straight out of Waver's nightmares about that night on the bridge…

* * *

 _Waver slowly dragged himself through and around the rubble on the shoreline. The explosion from Rider and Archer's battle had demolished the entire bridge and had sent him flying. Honestly though, it was a miracle that he was still alive and conscious._

 _As he pulled himself along the ground, Waver knew better than to call out for Rider. He had watched as his command seals had vanished from the back of his hand._

 _His friend was dead._

 _But, surly, Archer had been killed as well …_

 _Suddenly, someone_ yanked _him up, a tight, cold, vise-like grip around his throat. His eyes bulged, both from the gradual loss of air, and in fear, when he saw who it was that was choking him._

 _The Golden man was covered in wounds and cuts and ash and dust, including a massive blast burn over his left eye. His right eye, however, was clear, and full of rage. His armor was cracked and burned as well, with a great portion gone from his chest and arms, leaving his burned skin on full display. His hands were still sheathed in golden metal, and they dug into the flesh of Waver's neck._

 _He looked upon the choking Waver as one would a disgusting insect that they had just crushed beneath their boot. "Your servant acquitted himself well, mongrel. Most impressive, as is the fact that you are still alive. As such, I will extend upon you my mercy, despite your shared crime of barring my way to the Holy Grail."_

 _Waver's leg stumps flailed in the air, as he pulled futilely at the iron grip around his neck. "Too… late. Emiya… already… has it!"_

 _The Golden Man promptly laughed, even as his grip tightened around the boy's throat. "That is where you are wrong, for my new subject has already infiltrated their stronghold. The Grail will soon be in our hands. Don't worry though, for I will not kill you."_

 _Then, the smile on his scarred face vanished, and it was replaced with such a fury that it was a wonder that Waver did not empty himself. All he could do was struggle even harder, as futile as it was. "However, your wild and thunderous Servant still damaged my Royal countenance, and thus, recompense will be taken!"_

 _His gauntleted hand rose up, dug into Waver's left eye, and Waver screamed in pain…_

* * *

The King of Heroes was dressed in the finest clothes that money could buy, which consisted of a long black leather coat, pants, gloves and boots, all of which were trimmed with gold. His hair was pointed upward, and his left eye was uncovered, as if he were proudly displaying his wound for the world to see.

The Golden Man's smile…. Waver could barely remain upright, and he already felt his lunch about to vacate his stomach.

Right now, though? Well, Waver decided that he would just settle for shaking in pure and utter terror. Meanwhile, his legs were 'growling' at the Golden man, the sounds loud in Waver's mind.

The King of Hero's smile took on a deadly edge. "Hello, mongrel. Put the rabid things that are masquerading as your limbs to heel. I think it's time that we had a discussion…."

* * *

Flat was beginning to feel a bit lost. It had been a few days since 'it' had told him anything

Atilla (no, she hated that name, sorry) … _Saber_ was still pretty cool, but she was always so very quiet.

The city was still pretty cool, but he had explored almost every inch of it, and was now at a bit of a loss of what to do next.

Oh well. He was sure that 'it' would speak up again before too long.

Maybe if he was lucky, he could find professor Velvet!

* * *

The day came and went, with the sun setting well beneath the horizon, and, once again, night settled upon Fuyuki City, and it was crisp and cold.

Alice walked the streets, despite the cold night air, the Alice in Wonderland book still tucked under her arm. Today had been a quiet day at the ice-cream parlor.

The owner was a nice person, and never once questioned why a girl who seemed to be sixteen years old was not in school and instead worked almost all day in a large penguin suit at the parlor.

The riverside park was quite serene at night.

She had been more than a bit skeptical when Touko had contacted her, straight out of the Blue, about the Holy Grail War.

She then looked down at the book that she held, and the power that radiated from it. She then looked at the glowing command seals on her palm.

On the other hand, the benefits could not be denied….

* * *

 _Hunt._

 _Hunt, kill._

 _Hunt, kill, eat._

* * *

She felt, rather than heard, the thing behind her, and she swiftly dodged, thus making it skid several feet away from her, before it righted itself.

It looked like a person, only more feral and bestial in appearance. It was on all fours, and hand long and messy blonde and white hair. It wore strange, almost organic clothing of red and black, and it was growling at her. No, not growling… _chuckling_.

It looked at her and licked its lips and sharp teeth with an abnormally long tongue that was drenched in saliva. It's narrowed eyes were a pale orange in color.

It tensed, so much that it was if she could make out every muscle on its form, even through its clothing.

It was sizing her up like she was a sumptuous meal.

Then, over its head then materialized a group of twisted and jagged swords, which spiraled and fired at her with the speed of bullets shot out from the barrel of a gun.

She did not panic. Her expression did not even change, she just held out her hand that held the book. "Caster."

In her hand the book opened of its own volition, and a steady of what looked like playing cards shot out and intercepted each and every sword.

As the projectiles shattered against each other, the bestial thing was already speeding forward, claws ready to rend and tear.

" _Hey Diddle, Diddle."_

Alice then turned the book downwards, and out of it shot what seemed to an oddly crafted fiddle, and through the ground.

Before the beast could pounce, a barrier of what could only be described as an assortment of cutlery and dishes swarmed about her, denying her attacker any entry, and making it bounding back.

One of the cutleries had cut it along its cheek. Its tongue wormed up and licked at the wound. It kept chuckling.

"Fun."

It then rose from the ground. Two more swords appeared, one white and one black.

With a gesture, the mass of cutlery burst forward, and the bestial thing ran to meet the swarm, its black and white swords flashing and parrying and slicing through the animated silverware.

Somehow, it was getting through. It leapt, destroyed cutlery all around, and descend towards her, blades at the ready.

The book glowed, and form out of it shot a massive, muscular arm, covered in red scales, flesh, and chiton, and full of sharp angles.

The massive arm enveloped the attacker, and proceeded to slam it into the ground, repeatedly.

When the arm withdrew back into the open book, there was a bloody mound of what seemed to resemble crushed hamburger meat. It was twitching slightly. Alice watched as its swords, which were still intact, dissipate into a flurry of sparks.

The body then just… dissolved into the ground.

Very interesting.

* * *

The past few days went by without much fanfare. To Rin, today was shaping up to be much the same.

When they could, she and Shirou would debate and draw up potential plans regarding what to do about Ryuudou Temple, and its occupants.

So far, they had come up with zilch. This was Lady Blue, after all, and Rin had no good feeling about her chances against Touko Aozaki, on top of her ludicrously powerful servant(s).

They did have the option of allying with the Einzbern and her two (two?!) Berserkers, though Rin was admittedly loath to go anywhere near that pixie-sized psychopath.

So, for now, she and Shirou were at a loss.

At the moment, since it was lunch, she and Shirou were alone on the rooftop courtyard.

She turned to look at him. Most of the bruises that the Einzbern's maid had given him were starting to fade, though his black eye had swollen up a bit, and his cut lip was apparently still a bit tender.

For a long moment, nothing was said. Then, Shirou spoke up. "So, what now?"

Rin sighed. "I honestly don't know. Our top priority is Caster and his master, but, as we both know, that is not going to be easy. And of course, this time, we won't have the element of surprise."

Yet, as she said that, Rin felt all but certain that Touko Aozaki had known that they had been coming.

Just great.

"As it is now," she continued, "our options are very, very limited."

Shirou must have noticed the look in her eye, because he began to vigorously shake his head. "No, no, no, no. We are not going to _her_. Have you already forgotten what she did to me, and all because she thought I was someone else?!"

"I am very aware. Shirou, but we may not have many options. This is called a _War_ for a reason, and, in war, sometimes, you have to make alliances with people you normally wouldn't. For instance, the Allied forces of World War II made an alliance with Stalin to help win against The Axis, and he was just as brutal as the Nazis and Italians."

The irony of that statement, given that she and Shirou were Japanese, was not lost on her.

* * *

It was almost time. Shinji clutched at the large paper bag in his locker, feeling the shape of its cargo.

He looked at the clock.

It was now time.

He took out the bulky bag and found an empty class room.

He withdrew from it a long dagger, alongside a rolled-up piece of paper, which he unfurled on the floor.

With a smirk, he touched the design on the paper, and it began to glow. As it did, he withdrew the final few items from the bag…

* * *

Rin suddenly felt a cold pulse lance its way up her spine. A moment later, a barrier of blood-red lightning.

It was the bounded field. Someone had actually activated it! Damn it! She had become complacent.

"Come on!" she said to Shirou. They both quickly rushed back inside.

As Archer and Assassin materialized behind them, Rin and Shirou rushed back to class. Everyone inside had collapsed, and they were twitching, as if in pain with spittle leaking from their mouths. Shirou check the pulses of a few. "They're still alive, but barely."

Good, then that meant they still had time to dismantle the field.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots rang out, along with deranged laughter. Carefully, Rin peeked her head out of the class room.

It was Shinji, holding a handgun and a dagger in his hands. He was randomly firing the gun into any classroom he came across, and his knife was dripping with blood.

"That's right," he said, a manic look in his eye. "Who's laughing now, assholes?!"

Wait, Shnji was responsible for this? Thaat was impossible! He had absolutely no talent as a mage.

Then, he saw her, smiled, and raised the gun. She quickly ducked back in as bullets whizzed by and closed and locked the door. Archer and Assassin were still in astral form, since they couldn't materialize in front of people who were not masters or magi.

"What do we do, Rin?" Shirou asked.

From outside the class room, they heard Shinji shout. "Come out Tohsaka! Come on out, so I can show you how I really feel! Who's laughing now, you stuck up bitch?!"

From the sound of his footsteps, he was almost at the door. She readied a Gandr in her hand. "On three," she whispered.

As Shinji's shadow appeared in the glass window of the door, Rin whispered "three," and launched the Gandr at the door.

The door flew off its hinges into the opposite wall. From Shinji's squawk, he was quite surprised. In that moment, Rin and Shirou dashed out. As expected, he raised and fired the gun out of reflex. Rin managed to throw up a quick barrier, which made the bullet rebound back into the firearm, making it explode in his hand.

As the Matou recoiled and screamed in pan at his now mangled hand, Shirou rushed forward and slammed the boy with seaweed hair against the wall.

"Why would you do all this?" Shirou asked, as he grabbed Shinji's collar. "They're suffering!"

"How did you erect the bounded field?" Rin asked, another Gandr already glowing in her hand. "You have no talent as a mage."

"What are you talking about?" Shinji babbled, as he held his bleeding hand close to his chest. "I'm not the one who put up the bounded field! It was just a happy coincidence! And good riddance, they all laughed at me. They think I didn't hear it, the snide remarks behind my back! They're all getting what they deserve!"

Wow, what an asshole. Rin raised the Gandr close to his face. "How do we turn it off?"

"I don't know! He didn't tell me how. I was just supposed to turn it on at a certain time, and then I would get my revenge. He promised me!"

"Who are you talking about?"

The sound of slow and ponderous footsteps in the hallway cut through the interrogation like a knife through butter.

Rin was not sure why, but that sound was more terrifying than anything she had heard before. A moment later, their source entered the hallway.

It was a man, and he was tall, and broad shouldered. His hair was brown and shoulder length. Around his neck was a short necklace of prayer beads. Oddly enough, his eyes were shrouded completely in shadow. The expression on his face seemed a strange mixture between impassive, emotionless, and a just a bit sorrowful. The red glow of the bounded field lent a terrifying aspect to his face.

Shinji saw the man. Then, with the dagger that was still in his other hand, he slashed at Shriou's face. As the red-headed boy recoiled in pain, Shinji broke free and then dashed towards the strange figure, the manic look back in his eyes, and a grin on his face. "Mr. Araya! I did exactly as you said! Look! Your plan is working! They are here! I did everything just like you…"

The man reached out and snapped Shinji's neck like a twig, the sound echoing throughout the school.

As the light quickly faded from Shinji's eyes, the man tore the boy's head from his spine, and looked into the head's empty eyes for a long moment, as a pulse of energy emanated from his fingertips.

He then tossed the decapitated head aside without another thought. His hand still dripped with blood. He then turned to look at her and Shirou, like how one would examine an ant under a magnifying glass.

When Rin looked at the man, she felt much like she did when she and Shirou had encountered Touko Aozaki; this man… this man seemed like a monster. He didn't feel even remotely human.

With slow and measured steps, he began to walk towards her and Shirou. Her hand shaking, she fired off a Gandr, while Shirou threw a small ball of flame. He didn't even seem to notice as they both fizzled out before even touching him. He never even raised a hand, and he just kept walking. She fired more, and they all were just as useless.

Their servant's materialized, and Archer sent several arrows streaking forward, alongside Assassin's daggers.

They were promptly intercepted by several swords that appeared out of nowhere, the clangs sounding as loud as gunfire.

Then, there was a brief glow from the shadowy recesses of his eyes.

Suddenly, she and Shirou collapsed to the ground. It felt as if a giant was slowly crushing them against the floor. Even Archer and Assassin were caught.

She couldn't even move. The pressure was just too intense! What kind of power was this?! How were even Archer and Assassin affected?!

Slowly, as if he had no reason to rush, the tall man walked right up to the downed teens, with each of his footsteps echoing throughout the school like the tolling of a bell, and then he knelt in front of them. He said nothing, and just seemed to stare at them.

Why wasn't he saying anything?

"What the hell do you want, you bastard?!" Rin said, despite her current position. "Who are you?!"

He was still silent.

Then, he began to reach out his hand…

Suddenly, he stopped, rose and turned. Rin managed to follow his line of sight, as a woman materialized at the end of the hallway.

No, not just a woman… it was a Servant, holding aloft a strange and terrible sword.

This was Saber!

Then, running up beside her was… wait, it was that weirdo she had given directions to, over a week ago. He was a master too?

Fuck.

The tall man studied the strange boy and his servant. He then nodded, as if he understood some strange and unspoken truth.

Then… he just vanished.

As he did, the red ambience and glow around the school dissipated, as did the titanic pressure keeping her and the others down.

As their servants vanished into astral from, and everyone else began to wake up, the blonde weirdo scratched his head, and then smiled at Rin as he walked towards her with an outstretched hand.

* * *

Zouken's eyes were wide as he watched the projected image. His familiars had transmitted the events transpiring at the school to him. He had not been totally surprised that Shinji's pathetic mind had finally snapped, though, even for him, this was audacious. It was almost admirable, in a pathetic way.

His interest had been swiftly replaced by shock when he saw who had just killed his foolish grandson. The body was different, but he recognized the aura that he killer emenated.

This was not possible!

How the hell was Souren Araya back?!

* * *

Once the bounded field dropped, Rin had put in an anonymous call to the police, before leaving with Shirou and the blond weirdo, their astralized Servants close behind.

The moment they were far away from the school, Rin took the opportunity to slam the blond weirdo into the wall of a nearby building by the front of his sweater vest, _hard._

His Servant then materialized, as did Archer and Assassin, setting them into a dangerous standoff, while Shirou did his best to keep them from attacking each other.

Rin ignored it, her eyes burrowing into the weirdo's skull. "Okay, weirdo! Start talking! Who are you, and who the hell was that back there?!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, okay! No need to get so mean! My name is Flat Escardos, I'm the master of Atilla, I have no idea who that guy was, and 'it' just told me that I had to get into the school and find you guys…."

"Wait, wait, wait! Stop babbling! How the hell did you get in past that bounded field? Also, how do you know about me and my ally, and did you just reveal to me your Servant's true name?"

Also, did he just say Atilla, as in Atilla the Hun?!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the weirdo's Servant give him something of an exasperated look.

The blonde looked at her with a shocked and sheepish grin on his face, before he then realized his mistake, and momentarily slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oops, sorry. Also, I don't know you, but 'it' does. 'It' told me to find you!"

"Who the fuck is 'it'?"

Shirou then spoke up. "Uh, guys? How about we all just calm down, and find some place a little safer to talk?"

Rin and the weirdo looked at him, their Servants, and then at each other. "Fine," the Tohsaka heiress said.

* * *

 _Later_

Reluctantly, they all met at Rin's house. Ordinarily, she would have preferred not to let an enemy master into her home, but there was not much choice at the moment.

Shirou was the first to speak. "Right, now, let's start from the beginning. Who are you?"

The blonde boy scratched the back of his head. "Like I just told your scary friend here, my name is Flat Escardos, and I am the Master of Saber…"

He then proceeded to, for some reason tell them his life history, which apparently included getting almost murdered by his parents five times.

The fact that he said that with a goofy grin on his face was definitely not creepy at all to Rin's mind, though Shirou's eyes had bulged out in shock at that.

After about an hour of him babbling nonstop, Rin held up a hand. "Right, so let me get this straight… you follow the instructions of a thing that only you can see and hear…"

"Yes."

"You entered the Holy Grail War, just for fun, and summoned your Saber, who you just told us is Atilla the Hun, without a catalyst…"

"Yeah, though she actually hates being called that. She prefers Altera"

"Whatever… and then, you somehow managed to bypass an extremely powerful bounded field though, and I quote, you "have no idea how you did it, you just did," and now you want to team up with us, all because the afore mentioned thing that only you can see and hear told you to."

He gave a happy grin and nodded. "That's right!"

Rin looked at him. Rin then looked at his Saber, who had been standing right behind him the whole time, and at her stupidly powerful stats and skills.

Rin then looked at Shirou, who just helplessly shrugged.

Rin buried her face in her hands. "Jesus fucking Christ…"

The boy then spoke up again. "If it helps, then I think I have a clue as to where that scary man came from…"

* * *

Since the attack on the school, Grandfather had become paranoid. It was an odd thing, seeing Zouken Matou actually be afraid of something. He had increased the potency of bounded fields around the house tenfold, as well as had his insects secreted all about, ready to kill and devour at a moment's notice.

Why was he so afraid of the man who had killed Shinji?

As for Shinji… she really didn't know how to feel about his death. On one hand, she felt sad that he was dead, but, on the other… he had never been especially kind to her.

Suddenly, from outside, there came a great screech and chittering of grandfather's insects. A moment later, some… _energy_ pulsed through the house. It felt like a cold breeze.

Then, the door to Sakura's room opened. It was the man who had killed Shinji. Yet, for some reason, she did not feel afraid.

As he approached, the prayer beads at his neck rattling with every step, she felt the worms inside her begin to pulsate. It hurt. They were scared of this man.

Then, from beneath the man's feet shot a pulse, and, suddenly… the pain stopped.

He reached out his hand.

When he touched her forehead, she remembered a memory that she had no recollection of ever forgetting….

 _...Grandfather let her out of the house. There was going to be no training today, though, she didn't really care enough to be happy._

 _With no real destination in mind, she ambled down the sidewalk. Then she saw someone suddenly standing in front of her._

 _It was a tall man, and she couldn't see his eyes._

 _Most other children would have been afraid. But, after what Sakura had endured…. She was not like most other children. She simply looked up at him, as he gazed down at her, his shadow almost totally enveloping her small form._

 _He then knelt until they were almost eye level, though she still couldn't see his eyes._

 _For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then, he spoke. "You have suffered greatly, for one so young."_

 _Then, without warning, he set his palm against her forehead._

 _She didn't even flinch at the contact._

 _"I shall unlock your Origin. You will be strong, strong enough to survive what is to come, until you can be freed."_

 _"You'll… free me?"_

 _"Yes. It won't be soon, but I will return. You won't remember this, but you still become stronger over time."_

 _She already felt a little different. "Why… why are you doing this?"_

 _"Because even a thing like me still keeps his promises..."_

As the memory rushed back, Sakura collapsed into his arms.

* * *

What was going on? Zouken couldn't move. He could not even dissipate into his insects. It was as if the bounded fields had formed a restrictive shell all around him and his crest worms. All he knew that something had set the bounded fields around the house off, and then… this.

"It is no use trying to move. I infected the bounded fields that your house is comprised of with what you could think of as a virus. Every stone that makes up this dwelling is now under my control."

Luckily, his head could still move, somewhat, and he craned his neck, to behold the sight of a familiar monster, one that he had hoped to never meet again, walking down the steps of the worm pit, with each of his footsteps sounding like a judge's gavel. The worms were shuffled aside by the bounded field, letting the monk read upon empty ground. In the monster's arms was his unconscious granddaughter.

"So, this is what you have been reduced to, Zouken Matou," Souren Araya said, as he glanced about at the immobile worms. "It is quite a sad sight."

Zouken spat at him, the man who had nearly killed him, over two centuries ago. "Why are you here, Araya? After 200 years?"

"Actually, the last time I was in this city was almost ten years ago."

Ten years? Wait… Zouken's eyes widened. "… I see. Kariya's disappearance… you were responsible for that, Araya?"

"Yes. I made it so that he didn't have to suffer anymore… Besides, no one ever discovered who Berserker's master really was… not even you."

Zouken didn't really care that he had discovered the fate of his idiot son. "Why are you here, in my house, monster? What do you want with my precious granddaughter?"

"I am here to fulfill promises that were made to a dead man who no longer suffers."

What?

His hands glowing, Araya freed his right and, in the next moment, Araya jabbed the hand into Sakura's chest, and ripped out the special crest worm that Zouken had placed next to her heart.

Zouken's eyes grew wide with shock, especially as the wound in Sakura's chest then began to rapidly close up, and… her eyes and hair were starting to change from purple to blue and brown, before she had been made a matou.

The Matou aspects were being… purged from the girl. He could feel the other worms disintegrating within her as she reverted.

How? This was impossible! Such a thing was not possible! What sort of magecraft was this?

Zouken still couldn't move, and all he could do was watch as the last chance for his great blood line to continue dissipated before his very eyes. As he cleansed and healed the girl cradled in his arm, Souren Araya idly studied the withering Crest worm in his other hand. "It is remarkably perverse, the depths that you have gone to so that you could preserve the remnants of your pathetic and unnatural existence, Zolgen."

Despite his restraint, The Matou elder began to shake in pure rage, and sentiment that was reflected in the screeching of his worms and insects. "You're one to talk, monster! That body is much different than when we last met! How many have you stolen in all the centuries of _your_ unnatural existence?!"

Araya did not react to the taunt, despite its truth. Once Sakura's body was full healed, the monk gently laid her upon the ground, stood up, and stared at the ancient Magus, the worm still in his hand.

"Zolgen Makiri… your final death will not be remembered."

No, no, no, NO! It could not end like this! He still had to achieve his dream! But, none of his worms could move. The bounded field had them all restrained perfectly.

"Damn you! I curse you, Souren Araya! Damn you straight to hell, you monster that masquerades in human flesh! I curse you to the blackest pit in all of hell! May you forever rot in the bowls of a daemon!"

The monk ignored the magus' cries as he then raised the withering worm in his glowing hand and began to chant….

 _"_ _Invoking the All Encompassing and All-Pervasive essence,_

 _bringing focus and resolve to the energy of purification,_

 _aspiring to the transcendent bliss of the enlightened mind,_

 _may the understanding of the skillful means for purifying,_

 _releasing and transforming the constituent elements of being be present._

 _Let it be so!"_

As the Buddhist monk spoke each syllable of the purifying chant, the bounded field restraining the Makiri elder began to pulsate, and it felt like liquid fire was being injected into Zouken's nonexistent veins. All around him, the worms unleashed an ear-wrenching cacophony of screeches.

The agony! It was too much! Make it stop, make it stop! No, he couldn't die…. Not yet! Not… he had to live!

He had to… why? Why did he want to survive? It had been getting so hard to remember.

 _Justeaze…_

Who was that again?

It just hurt so much, and he… he was so very tired….

It was so cold... nothing but darkness...

* * *

Rider stood outside the gates of the Matou residence.

As had been promised, the tall man soon emerged from the mansion, with Rider's master in his arms.

The strange man had succeeded, it would seem.

Gently, despite his weaponry and armor, he took Lady Sakura in a bridal carry from the tall man. When he looked up, the strange Monk was already gone, as if he had just vanished into thin air.

As the bogatyr held his unconscious Master in his arms, with her unconsciously curling into his embrace, he looked over the residence of the now extinct Matous.

His face twisting into a hateful grimace, Tugarin opened his jaw, and let loose a good and powerful burst of flame.

Soon enough, the mansion was little more than a flaming wreck, and with it, all the dread and evil secrets of the Matous. As it burned, there was a final and horrendous screech, and then, nothing but embers.

It was now time to be away. With a whistle from his lips, Tugarin's horse was at the ready, though making sure to keep a good distance from the flames, of course. Soon enough, he and his master were galloping away.

It was time to talk to the overseer.

* * *

 _He had fulfilled the promise that the monk had given to the suffering man before he died. He had saved the girl and ended the life of the old Worm._

 _He always kept his promises._

 _It would all be over before too long. Just a few more steps to be taken, and then…_

 _He would save everyone._

 _He would free them all._

* * *

 **A/N. The Sorrowful monk has made his appearance, and now the Matous are no more. What happened ten years ago? Will Rin and Shirou team up with Flat and Atilla. What has happened to Waver?**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

Lancer: Celtchar of Ulster

Master: Bazett

 **Stats**

STR: A

AGI: A+

END: A+

MAN: B

LCK: C

N.P.: A

 **Class Skills**

Magic Resistance: B

Riding: A

Independent Action: B

 **Personal Skills**

Beast Tamer: B.

Bravery: B

Eye of the Mind (True): B

Three Beasts and their Hunter: A. (Combination of Beast Killer, Animal dialogue, Self-evolution, Animalistic Logic, and Self modification). The legend of the three beasts is so entwined with Celtchar that, when he is summoned, he has become something akin to a wild beast himself.

 **Noble Phantasms**

Luin of Celtchar: C+ (A+)

Accumulation of the Three: A+. In his life, Celtchar slew three beasts that haunted Ulster. Now, as a Servant, he has gained all of their abilities in a continuously active noble phantasm, much like Heracles' Godhand.

· Conganchnes mac Deadat: he can only be hurt or pierced by noble phantasms or attacks ranked A or higher.

· Luch Donn: Can pierce through magic resistance and defenses ranked A or lower.

· Dóelchú: Acts in a similar manner to a certain Hassan's blood, and it can affect even Servants and phantasmal beasts

Areadhbar: A++

* * *

Saber: Atilla

Master: Flat

 **STATS**

STR: A

END: A  
AGI: A  
MAN: A  
LCK: A

 **Class Skills**

Magic Resistance: B

Riding: A

Divinity: B

Civilization Erosion: EX

 **Personal Skills**

Military Tactics: B

Natural Body: D

Familiar Creation: EX

Star Emblem: EX

 **Noble Phantasms**

Photon Ray: A

Teardrop Photon Ray: A++


	8. Chapter 8

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 7

Kirei diligently went about his task of cleaning the church altar. He had already put the finishing touches to the coming Sunday's sermon, and, as such, had very little to do, save for some menial cleaning. He had no reason to complain about it, as he found the task to be beneficial in both clearing his mind and passing the time.

Though, at the same time, he was not entirely sure why he even bothered, since attendance of mass had been steadily declining over the past ten years. The fact that the Church was still in good repair was only through the monetary intervention of his friend, since donations had of course been steadily dropping over the past decade, along with the drop-in attendance. Perhaps the people of Fuyuki just did not feel hope in their hearts and souls when it came to the Lord, after all. But who could truly blame them, with them having suffered through not only the Great Fuyuki Fire, but also the serial killer who was going around slaughtering friends and family without rhyme or reason?

The thought of his parishioner's fear, pain, and despair made him smile in contentment.

Such lovely despair.

His friend had returned earlier, with good cheer in his eye. Kirei had not inquired as to the source of the King's upbeat mood, knowing that the King of Heroes would share with him when he felt like it.

Though, of course, the priest suspected that it had something to do with Waver Velvet.

The sound of a loud knocking upon the church doors roused him from his thoughts.

When he opened them, he could not help but raise an eyebrow at what was on the other side. "Well, this is a surprise."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but can you say that again?"

Before the blonde weirdo, Flat, could explain how he knew where the silent man had come from, Rin's phone began to ring. With a huff at being interrupted, even if it was by an inanimate object, Rin stormed over to it and groaned upon recognizing the number. What did he want?

Still, she answered it, and the man's deep voice filtered into her ear.

" _Hello Rin, it's Kirei."_

"I know. What do you want, fake priest? I'm a bit busy at the moment."

 _"There is no need to be so rude. I was just calling to tell you that there has been an interesting development here."_

"What sort of 'development,' Kirei?"

 _"I think it best if you came to see yourself."_

She was tempted to not go at all and ignore him, but then decided against it. "Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes."

 _"Very well. Thank you."_

"Who was that?" Shirou asked her, as she hung up the phone.

"It was Kirei."

"Wait, the Overseer, Kirei Kotomine?" Flat asked.

Wait, he had met Kirei? Why had the fake preist not told her about the weirdo? "Yes."

"He called you?"

Rin gathered up her coat. "Yes. As it happens, he is my legal guardian, unfortunately."

"Okay… wait, isn't it illegal for the Overseer of the Grail War to be in close contact with any of the contestants?"

"Technically, but that's not really important at the moment."

"But doesn't that mean that you're cheating?"

"I said that it's not really important at the moment! Anyway, you all just wait here. Me and Archer will be back soon."

Before the weirdo or Shirou could say another word, she and Archer were already out the door and gone.

* * *

Alice was starting to think that something was wrong with Velvet. When he had returned from his walk, he had seemed very nervous and on edge, though, to be fair, for as long as she had known the wandering magus, that was how he seemed to be whenever he was in Japan, no doubt due to his memories of the previous War.

This time, though, he seemed more withdrawn. When he had returned, he had not said a word, and had instead went right to his room, where he had been for the past few hours.

She turned the page and noted that she was at the part where Alice met the caterpillar.

She raised her head at the sound of a door opening, to see that it was Waver. "Where's Aozaki," he asked.

"Why?"

"I need to talk with her."

'What about?"

"Why exactly she is in the gods-forsaken city, and why she felt the need to drag us along."

"Why do you want to know, all of a sudden?"

"Because I think it's time we found out. We've been here for almost two weeks, and she's told us nothing. Why?"

"You know, you can just ask me directly. I like to think that I'm not entirely unapproachable."

Even Alice had to raise an eyebrow at that, while, to Waver's credit, he did not rapidly spin around at Touko's sudden appearance.

"I haven't asked earlier, Touko, since it was none of my concern, and, quite frankly, you terrify me, but now, I am afraid that I have to ask; why are you participating in this bloody War? I know you well enough to believe that you don't have a wish that you want granted, nor do I believe that this is the sort of thing you would get involved in out of simple boredom. So please, if you would, tell us why you are here."

Touko leveled an even look at the Undying Witch and the Wandering Magus for a long moment, the only sound in the room being her light inhalations on her cigarette. She then gave her customary smirk. "Alright, fine. I came here looking for someone…. An old acquaintance of sorts."

"What sort of 'acquaintance' would he be?"

"Why do you want to know that, little Waver? Are you jealous?"

That earned the Lady Blue a scowl from the bearded man, which was received with a laugh. "He's the sort that I once considered a friend, though we lost contact with each other several decades ago. I will tell you that he's rather dangerous, even by my standards. All that I do know now is that he's involved in something big, and that it involves Fuyuki City. That's one of the two reasons as to why I'm here, in this little 'gods-forsaken city,' as you put it. I managed to track him down to here."

"And what's the other reason for you being here?"

Touko's eyes glowed for moment. "I was actually bored, I had a piece of Maui's fishhook, and I had some time to kill. Besides… who in their right mind would want to actually pass up the chance for a Wish?"

She then looked directly into Waver's eyes, and Alice watched as the magus flinched. "I have to ask, though; Why are you so curious, all of a sudden, little Waver?"

He looked about, rubbing at the area where his left eye had once been, and then swallowed hard and sighed. "You've caught the attention of a very powerful and very arrogant _thing_ , besides the ones who own my soul. This _thing_ is something that has haunted my nightmares for years, so believe me when I tell you that it is in no way a good thing when you catch that golden asshole's attention."

Touko raised a red eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

As she spoke, she casually threw an arm over Waver's shoulders, which made him flinch again. "Tell me more about this powerful and arrogant _thing_ whose eye I've caught."

After she watched the two walk off and continue to talk, Alice then turned back to her book with a small shrug.

 _'It is wrong from beginning to end,' said the Caterpillar, decidedly…._

* * *

Rin had not been sure what to expect when she arrived at the Fuyuki Church. After what had happened at the school, as well as meeting with that weirdo, Flat.

As she approached the doors, Arjuna suddenly materialized. "Master, there is a Servant inside. What are your orders?"

"Be on guard but please remember that this is neutral ground."

"Understood."

She saw Kirei by the Altar as always. But he was not alone. Standing by his side, like a watchful sentinel, was a tall servant dressed in Russian bogatyr armor that had a draconic motif to it. His mismatched eyes carefully watched her and Archer as they approached, like a wolf that guarded its pack with deadly force.

Rin walked around the pew and saw who it was that they were looking at. She didn't recognize the sleeping girl, at first, as all Rin could see was the back of her head.

Wait… brown hair….

Then, the girl turned over in her sleep, and she beheld a face. When she saw the face, something bubbled up to the forefront of her mind; it was the face of a laughing child, a memory that she had buried, long ago, of a happier time, when there had once been two, while a woman and kind mind watched the children as they played in a field…

She knew the girl's face.

"Sakura?"

* * *

It was remarkable how, up close, cities seemed to look and feel very similar to one another. Indeed, it almost felt as if she had not let Mifune city at all.

She got a few odd looks, no doubt due to her traditional dress and boots that she wore.

As she walked, she found her eye-catching sight of a flyer on a wall. The Semina-Ogawa Apartment complex, huh? The flyer boasted about there being one all over Japan. She recalled that there was one in Mifune. It had always struck her as an odd building.

Who makes a round apartment complex?

Later, The Ryougi matriarch found herself walking down by the river. It was a very lovely sight. Then, she stopped, and looked behind her, towards the supposedly empty paved path.

"I know you're watching me, Mr. Servant. There's no need to hide."

Several feet away from her appeared a tall man with medieval armor and strange grey skin. He held a spear whose tip was burning. Even for her, it hurt to look at for too long.

He looked over her, and even sniffed the air around her. "What are you, missy? Normal humans can't see me. Also, you smell strange."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, I cannot say that I have heard that said about me before."

"Sorry. It's just that… you reek of blood. But… you also seem like the kind of person that I would like to get to know better. A fellow hunter, if I'm not mistaken."

Now, that was something that she had definitely heard before. So, she took the comment in good stride and cheer. "Fair enough. As for who and what I am, well, I'm just Shiki."

He chuckled. "Fair enough. Nice to meet you, just Shiki. You can call me Lancer."

They shook hands.

The Lancer then dematerialized his spear, and began to walk alongside her. "So, tell me about yourself, Shiki. I'm bored, and I have time to kill. It's not like my master wants me back any time soon…."

* * *

The color was now purple. Hadn't it been…. No, there was no reason to think about it.

It was real, it was all real, but Celtchar would not believe her. He could not see the color of the walls.

Some hunter. She knew there was something wrong.

 _He does not believe you. Cu Chulainn would have believed you. Celtchar is not the hero you need._

…Yeah. He was a fake.

 _Do you want to remain shackled to him? Do you wish for him to keep weighing you down, to keep you from attaining glory and prestige?_

No… no she didn't.

 _Sever yourself from him, and let the way be paved for a true hero to take his place at your side, so that all your dreams can come true…_

She looked at her hand, at the dagger that had not been there before…. No, wait, it had been. It was a jagged thing of purple and gold.

It was real. She could see what color it was.

 _You know what to do, Bazett, but the final choice is yours…_

As she raised the dagger high, she wondered what color were the walls now?

* * *

Shiki was starting to enjoy her discussion with the Lancer Servant. He was open, and honest, and more than a bit blood thirsty.

It was like he was a combination of her beloved husband and _him_.

It was nice.

Suddenly, the Servant clutched his chest with a pained expression on his face, and cracks began to slowly spread over his grey skin.

"What's wrong?"

The Lancer began to breathe heavily, as if he were having a heart attack. "It… it feels like my master just severed our contract. Damn it."

"Are you going to disappear?"

"Yeah… ordinarily, I would be able to remain for at least two days, but, unfortunately…. One of my phantasms is continuously active, which puts a bit of a drain on my reserves. So… that means… I'm screwed. Damn it all…. Only got to fight in two fucking battles… this isn't fair…"

Shiki looked at the worried and dying Hero for a moment, and then smiled, and reached out her hand to the grey-skinned man, who looked at it with confusion. "I think that I might be able to help you, Mr. Hero. Make a contract with me, and I will do my best to give you great battles."

To her slight surprise, he did not even hesitate. As she took his shaking grey and clawed hand, she began to chant, despite never having heard or read the words before in her life. As the words came froth, a blue and red glow enveloped them.

 _Let silver and steel be the essence.  
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation  
Let the Void be what I pay tribute to_

 _Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall  
Let the four cardinal gates close.  
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate._

 _I hereby declare.  
Your body shall serve under me.  
My fate shall be your sword.  
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail  
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!_

 _An oath shall be sworn here!  
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.  
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!_

 _From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,  
Come forth from the ring of restraints,  
Protector of the Holy Balance!_

As the glow faded, and the three crimson seals etched themselves into Shiki's left hand, she smiled again, as the pain faded from the eyes of the Hunter of the Three. "The bell has not yet tolled your name, Celtchar of Luin. There are still battles left to be fought…."

He looked at her blankly for a moment, and then sighed, and gave a small smile. "You got it, _master_."

* * *

On the Northern outskirts of Fuyuki city, there is a building. This was the Fuyuki asylum, and it was a place where those deemed too unstable, or, perhaps, too vile, for society and prisons to handle. Within the asylum, in a subterranean level, was a padded room, separated from the world by a solid plexiglass pane.

The sole resident of the small, padded room, separated as it was by the solid plexiglass pane, had hair that had once been a bright and vibrant orange, but, after ten years, it had lost much of its luster, and had grown down past his shoulders. His skin was pale, due to a lack of any real sunlight, and stretched tight across his cadaverous form.

Despite all of that, however, there was a wide smile on his face, and it was disconcertingly child-like in its honesty and exuberance.

He was the sort of man who pursued his chosen profession to its upmost extreme, and enjoyed every last second of it as he did.

Ten years ago, he had been caught up in the middle of a wild and strange event, and had survived it, somehow, only to be arrested for his art and profession. The fact that his 'art' and his 'profession' had been the brutal murders of several families should not have mattered, in his mind. It was just who he was, and he was in no way, shape, or form ashamed about it.

Having been deemed too insane for a public trial (which had rankled a bit, as he had always considered himself to more than perfectly sane, thank you!), the court and authorities had decided on a hushed and private trial and sentencing. After being analyzed by a lot of funny people with clipboards, business suits, glasses, and horrified expressions on their faces, he had thus ended up being sentenced to life imprisonment in a mental asylum on the outskirts of the city.

To be honest, he really didn't mind, not after what had happened ten years ago, and his encounter with the man in the green top hat; his teachers.

To his slight pride, he was a model resident and patient. He never made any trouble, was always extremely cooperative with the staff and the other patients, always took his meds (though they did nothing for or to him, except just taste funny) and, indeed, he mostly just kept himself to himself.

The fact that he was always restrained by wrist and ankle shackles and was also not allowed within ten feet of any sharp things, may have been a contributing factor, but he never minded it.

He was comfortable. All he really just had to do was wait nine more years…

He then looked up, having felt that he was not alone. Standing before his cell was a tall man that had not been there before, with shadowy eyes, and a necklace of prayer beads around his neck.

The artist gave him a congenial smile, and a small wave of his manacled hands. The fact that there were no orderlies rushing in meant that this was no ordinary visitor. Still, there was no need to be impolite. "Hey there, friend. Have you come for a visit?"

The tall man did not reply, and simply stared at him.

The serial killer giggled at his visitor's silence. "Oh, so you're one of those strong and silent types, right?"

The tall man then spoke, in a strange and deep voice. "Do you even feel regret for all the suffering that you have caused? Do you ever feel remorse for all the lives you stole, in your demented little existence?"

The serial killer began to chuckle. He had been asked that so many times before. "Why would I? I made art. I helped all those understand death on a cool and intimate level that others can only begin to understand, and it. Was. Awesome! Death is something that should be shared and celebrated amongst as many as possible, and you know what? I shared it to the fullest. All those women and children… it was so cool. My teachers were so fucking proud."

He then looked right at the weird and tall guy. "So, in other words, I can happily say that I regret absolutely nothing. I never have, and I never will."

The tall man was silent for a long moment and seemed to be studying him. "I see. You cannot be saved."

He took a single step forward. "Why haven't you escaped?" he then asked the artist.

The serial killer smiled again, as bright green lines temporarily traced themselves against his flesh. "So, I guess it makes sense that you would know about that. The fact is that I just don't really feel like it. Besides, for my teachers' plans to begin, they told me that I have to stay right here, at least until 2015. Then… I will get to witness the ultimate Cool once they come and get me!"

"I am afraid that that is not going to happen. Your teachers are dead. I killed 'them' myself."

That managed to deflate the Serial Killer's good cheer, and it was replaced by shock. No, that was impossible. His teachers were powerful! They could not be killed!

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

To the serial killer's slight shock, the Tall man then proceeded to walk right through the glass pane, like he was some sort of ghost. Then, he grabbed the orange-haired man by the face and slammed him into the back of the cell.

That hurt, though not as much as the fact that his teachers were dead.

"When the end comes, Ryuunosuke Uryuu, and everyone is freed, you will not be remembered."

Then, there was only pain.

* * *

 _The dragon burnt their lands, killed their men, ate their women and children, and plundered their riches and wealth, for himself._

 _It was what he did, and it was what his kind was always meant to do, and he did it well._

 _Yet, none of it brought him any happiness._

 _Then, one day, a bold and strange human came, seeking to end his reign of terror over the lands._

 _The human had not been the first to do so, and the dragon had been confident that he would not be the last._

 _How so very wrong the dragon had been._

 _He remembered being brought low by a mighty and cunning blow, and then tumbling into the river, with two of his heads gone, and amny wounds from the human's wicked sword biting and stinging his scales and hide._

 _The dragon had watched from where he lay as the strange human had departed, taking barely any of his treasure._

 _Why? Why had he done such a strange thing?_

 _He did not remember much, drifting in and out of consciousness, but he did recall dragging himself to the river bed, and then to a burnt out dwelling that he had razed once._

 _He had razed so many, it was difficult to tell them apart._

 _Days went by, and his wounds seemed to heal too slowly._

 _Then, he heard a tiny voice. It was a human voice._

 _Through his one good eye, he could make out the figure of a little human female. Was she a survivor?_

 _He wanted to snap at her, or breath fire upon her until she was naught but ash... but he was just too tired._

 _It started like that, the two of them watching the other without really moving._

 _Then, for some strange reason, she actually dared to approach him, and began to smear mushed herbs and things upon his wounds._

 _They stung, but he could not do much._

 _Every day after that, the strange little girl treated his wounds. Sometimes, she would even talk to him, though he would do nothing but glare at her._

 _He did not understand it, why she was helping the one who had destroyed her home in the first place._

 _Finally he asked her why. She told him that he just looked like he needed help._

 _What a strange thing to do._

 _Over time, he found himself engaging in more and more conversation with the girl. He even began to feel an uncomfortable sensation whenever he noted how his blood blistered and singed her hands._

 _She told him that it was guilt._

 _As his wounds healed, he had found himself wondering what to do with this strange human. For some reason, he no longer wanted to kill her._

 _Through their conversations, the dragon had begun to consider the world from a different perspective. Maybe there was more to these humans that what his kind thought. He had to see for himself, but not as himself._

 _When the dragon's wounds had fully healed, he had descended from his mountain abode, clothed in the flesh of humans so as to appear as one of them, so that he could find and observe the strange human more, as he guided her to one of the larger human dwellings._

 _When they had parted ways, the dragon had then managed to tracked down the human who had defeated him and saw that he was a lord of some sort among the other fleshlings. Sometime later, the dragon had managed to ingratiate himself into the human's personal guard and inner circle._

 _At first, he had wanted to get close just so that he could kill the human who had humiliated him so, and then exact a fiery revenge on all who were precious to the human._

 _But then, another odd thing occurred… the dragon thought about how his healer would have reacted if he did such an thing, and so stayed his hand. Besides, he began to feel... right, even happy, with each good deed that he performed in service to the strange human._

 _As the years passed, he became friends with the human who had defeated him, as well as his wife, and another of the strange human's followers, an odd and earnest little man named Alyosha. The two of them soon earned great renown across the land as powerful and noble warriors._

 _The dragon felt happy in his service to his new lord, and his heart felt full and happy for the first time in his very long life. To him, those years were worth more to him than his entire hoard of wealth._

 _Then, it all came crashing down about him._

 _They had struck out against dastardly invaders. The residents of the kingdom had cried out for help. So, the dragon, Alyosha, their lord, and their army set out to fight off the invaders and bring peace back to the land._

 _But, too late, they had discovered that it had been a trap. Soon enough, it became a slaughter._

 _As his fellows, his friends, died in droves, and his lord became greatly wounded, the dragon had been forced to unleash his true power and form. He had swiftly torn apart the invading army and reduced its leaders to ashes._

 _He remembered the horrified looks upon the faces of the ones who he had called friends, and he had fled._

 _Besides, when he had reverted to his old form, the urges that he had kept repressed for so long had begun to well up again. He could feel the version of himself that he had regarded as his true self begin to slip away and being replaced by the mindset of his original species._

 _Much later, he heard word that he was to be hunted. The masses cried out for him, the monster, to be killed. Then, he had detected his old friend, Alysoha, coming towards his old abode._

 _The two had met in an open field, and they talked. To the dragon's surprise, their lord had always known what he really was, as had Alyosha. Alas, their hands were tied. His lord had managed to bring peace to these lands, and the people cried out for the dragon's death, which meant that all his good deeds had to be expunged from the kingdom's history._

 _Though he knew it broke the heart of his friend, the dragon knew and understood that he had to die by Alyosha's hand._

 _But though he would fight his old friend as a dragon… he would not die as one._

 _He would die as a true bogatyr._

 _Their battle had been long and fierce, but, eventually, cunning Alyosha managed to bring the dragon down, though he allowed him to take the form of a human once more. Even as he landed the killing blows, and at the dragon's request no less, there had been tears in Alyosha's eyes._

 _Even as he died upon the blade of his friend, the dragon held no hatred in his heart towards him, or his lord._

 _He just wished… he just wished that he could have another chance to live and fight beside his friend and his lord._

 _He just wished that he could have been a better person._

 _He just wanted to see the girl who had helped him, all those years ago, one last time._

"Sakura?"

* * *

When Sakura awoke, it was to a pain in her chest and to pain all over the rest of her.

She also felt…. Different, lighter.

Then, she turned her head, and saw Rider, and… the last face she needed or wanted to see.

Rin.

"Sakura?" the Tohsaka asked again.

"Hello… what am I doing here?"

Kotomine then spoke up. "You were brought here by your Servant, and quite unconscious. Your shirt also had a rather large and, quite frankly indecent, hole, so I took the liberty of replacing it. I hope that you do not consider the act too forward of me."

Rin then looked at her again. "You look different… what happened?"

Wow, her head was really hurting. "Different? What are you talking about?"

Kotomine then handed her a small mirror. What she saw made her almost drop the item in shock and surprise.

Her brown hair was long and somewhat disheveled, and her face and hands were covered in small blemishes, as if some of the blood vessels beneath her skin had burst without it actually breaking. Her eyes, once purple, and without pupils, were now quite normal, and were the color of a robin's eggs.

She… she was no longer a Matou.

How?

"I'm… I'm not sure."

The last thing that she remembered was sitting in her room, per Zouken's orders. Then… she was here, in the church.

Kotomine then spoke up again. "I know that this is not the best time, but I am afraid that I have some terrible news. The Matou house has been destroyed, and Zouken Matou is dead."

Zouken was dead? Oh… what a tragedy.

"What are you going to do now, Sakura?" Rin then asked her, the question cutting through her ruminations like a knife through melted cheese.

"Why do you want to know?"

"…It's just that, well you don't have anywhere to go, and, since you're no long a Matou…"

"… Are you serious?"

"Yes. You can come home."

Home. Sakura had almost forgotten what the word meant.

She considered, and then slowly shook her head.

"No."

"Wh..what?"

Sakura looked right into the face of the girl who had once been her sister, who had betrayed her, and denied their bond for so long, and whom she still loved. "I am grateful to your offer, Rin. I truly am. But... believe me, I don't deserve to be around you. Besides... a part of me does not feel kindly to you right now, despite how much I still love you."

Sakura then stood up. "I have to figure some things out for myself right now, Rin. I have to understand how I really feel about you right now, and I won't be able to do that if I am with you right now. I'm sorry."

She looked away from the hurt expression on Rin's face, and to Tugarin, who stood proud and at the ready. "Come along Rider. We must be gone from this place."

"Of course, my lady. As you command."

At least she still had access to the Matou bank accounts, so at least taking residence should not be a problem. One of the nearby hotels would do.

As she and her Servant departed through the front doors, Sakura stopped for a moment and looked back over her shoulder. "I'll see you later Rin. Good luck."

* * *

 _Later_

As she and an astralized Arch head back down the street to her home, Rin absently wiped at her eyes. Huh, must have been a bit of dust.

 _"Are you alright, Master?"_ Archer asked.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Come on, we need to get back."

* * *

Kirei could not but smile as he savored the anguish that Rin was no doubt feeling upon being rejected by the Sister that she had thought lost for so long.

How very amusing.

Of course, even she had to have seen that coming. It seemed that the Tohsaka was as trusting as her father.

In a shower of Golden Sparks, his friend appeared in the pews, a glass of wine once more in hand, and laughter upon his lips. "What a deliciously sad reunion. A most excellent little spectacle, Kirei."

"I quite agree, your Majesty. I am glad that you found it to your liking."

For a good bit, neither of them said anything, and just silently savred the lingering anguish in the air as it dissipated.

His friend then finished his beverage, and stood up, a determined expression shining in his one eye. "I think that I shall be heading out tonight."

"Oh? Any particular reason as to why?"

"Yes. I think that it is time that this War was finally and properly graced with my Royal presence…"

* * *

When they were a block from her home, Archer suddenly materialized, and had a arrow nocked to his bow.

Knowing what that meant, Rin slipped a Gandr jewel into her hand.

As they slowly walked towards and into the Tohsaka mansion, Rin and Archer came upon a strange sight.

Flat and Shirou were currently cowering in the sofa set in the corner of the room, with Saber and Assassin standing tall in front of them, weapons at the ready.

On the other side of the room was a very familiar little psychopath, and a large gold wolf, alongside her two giants, both of whom sat on the floor without weapons, though their forms were tensed, as if ready to destroy and kill at but a moment's notice, and the larger one seemed to growl so low that it almost felt like the floor was rumbling.

The little hellion was sipping from a cup of tea, while her two maids brought forth small dishes of pastries. She then looked up and gave a disarmingly child-like smile to Rin and Archer.

"Hi, Tohsaka. You have decent taste in tea. Have you made a decision yet?"

"How the fuck did you even get in this house?!"

"There's not need to be so rude and crass, Tohsaka. I simply knocked on the door, and then was let in. Besides, I was starting to get impatient with your indecision regarding my generous offer of an alliance."

Rin then turned to Shirou. "You actually let her in?!"

He then frantically gestured to Flat. "No, I didn't. It's all his fault. Soon after you left, she arrived and knocked on the door. When I saw who it was, I most certainly did not open the door. I even locked it! But the next thing I know, Flat here throws it wide open, and in she comes with her giant wolf thing, who won't stop growling at me. Then, she summons her two Berserkers with two command seals, and had her maids make tea and snacks in the kitchen!"

After he finished his slightly frenzied explanation, Rin then proceeded to glare at Flat, who shrunk back and grinned a sheepish grin. "In my defense, 'it' told me that letting her in would be beneficial."

"And what about the fucking bounded fields?"

His grin turned more sheepish. "Oh, I took them down. Sorry about that."

The tiny snow fairy then spoke up again with a clearing of her throat. "Getting back on topic… as said earlier, I am here to once again extend the hand of alliance to help you take down Lady Blue, as well as that strange and weird man who attacked your school and tore off that annoying Matou's head. So please, sit, and we can all have a proper and civilized discourse."

It took a moment for it to register in Rin's mind that the little psychopath was asking her to take a seat, and in her own house, no less!

Of course, wanting to avoid massive destruction of property at the moment, Rin sat down next to Flat and Shirou, albeit reluctantly, and then leaned forward. She looked at the Einzbern, her large wolf, and her two berserkers. The Tohsaka looked to Archer, Assassin, Saber, Flat, and Shirou.

Rin then let loose a heavy and resigned sigh. "Fine. We're listening…"

* * *

After Sakura finished her shower and dressed in some of the new clothes that she had bought, she sat down in the suite that she had paid for at the Hyatt.

"What now, my Lady?" Rider asked, as he stood dutifully in the suite's living room.

"I honestly don't know. For now, though, we wait, and keep an eye on my sister and her allies."

"And then what?"

"If we can, we'll either help or hinder her. I haven't decided yet."

* * *

Daisuke leaned back in his chair, as he looked at the map of Fuyuki City.

Thirty-Seven murders, and they were no closer to catching this serial killer.

Then, as if whispered into his head, a strange thought came to him.

He took up a pencil, and then began to draw circles over the locations where each of the murders had been committed.

He then connected the circles and stood back. It… looked like a Buddhist Dharma wheel.

Then he looked closer. The Semina-Ogawa Apartment complex! It was at the center of design!

Could it be… it seemed like something out of a tv show… maybe, maybe, maybe!

He then began to flip through the files of each of the victims. It was not only their locations, but several of them had been involved in the construction of the Complex, and some were even apparently shareholders in the company the controlled the Chain; Alba Industries.

It was tenuous, but it was still a connection!

He then felt the need to check out the evidence locker. He looked that at the remaining possessions of the family that had been killed by arrows, of all things.

There was a bloody room key and ID from the complex; room 108.

With renewed energy, he yelled for someone to call the needed authorities of a search warrant, as well as the Special Assault Teams.

If he was right, and, somehow, he just knew he was, then maybe, just maybe, they would finally catch this demented son of a bitch! Finally, they could bring the serial killer of Fuyuki to justice.

As he did, he idly wondered why he had not thought of this before, and why he had not remembered the ID and room key before.

Never mind though, he could worry about it later.

 **A/N: Things are moving along. A tenuous alliance is made. Araya continues to move his inscrutable plans forward. What does he want? What happened during the Fourth War? Read, review, and enjoy to find out!**

 **A/NN: Made some changes to Rin and Sakura's interactions, as well as to Tugarin's memories. You were right, I did write Sakura too differenlty from canon. It has been rectified, I think.**


	9. Chapter 9

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 8

 **A/N: All your views and reviews have been integral in the continuation of this story. Thank you. I know some of you are wondering about Sakura's change in personality. I think I can explain that. Firstly, in this timeline, she was never raped by Shinji. Zouken was actually intending her to be his heir, not his new body. Also, I have always been of the opinion that the worms inside Sakura affected her personality to an extent.**

 **At least, that was the original idea. But, after some consideration, I have changed the dialogue to more accurately reflect how Sakura actually is, like in canon.**

 **Finally, for this story, here are the Awakened origins of her and Shinji**

 **Sakura: Strength**

 **Shinji: Failure**

 **Now then, enjoy the story!**

* * *

 _Two weeks ago_

Her first thought when it came to Fuyuki City was… that it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Seriously, this was the city that had the Association all up in a tizzy? It was almost difficult to believe that this was where the Holy Grail War was held.

Though, who was she to judge, after what happened ten years ago in Mifune city, a place that seemed equally ordinary, with Shiki, the girl from the moon, and the reincarnating Serpent?

"I am not surprised that you are here, participating in the upcoming contest, Aozaki," came a voice that was at once familiar, and yet not. "You have always been a rather bloodthirsty sort of person."

She turned around. "I see you have a new body."

The necklace of prayer beads rattled. "I suppose you could say that, in a manner of speaking, and I could say the same of you. Your latest work, I take it?"

Touko smirked, as she examined her hand, and the three crimson seals etched into it. "Yep. How long has it been, since we last met, Araya?"

"A good few decades, at the least. I do believe that the last time had been that little situation with your sister."

Yeah. The memory of Araya's hand impaled through Aoko's chest, and the look of shock on her little sister's face… that always brought a smile to Touko's face.

Then, her smile faded. "What are you doing here, Araya?"

"I could ask the same of you. Despite this being the sort of thing that you tend to enjoy, even one such as you would have absolutely no desire for a Wish, having already attainted all that you have ever wanted."

Touko had to admit that her old friend had a point. She took a long draw on her cigarette, and then shrugged. "Honestly? I can't really explain it, Araya…. It's like something in my circuits was pulling me here. All I do know is that it has something to do with you, Araya."

"I see."

"Yep… What is it that you have planned, old friend? Something big?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose. As such, I would ask that you leave this city, Touko, while you still can. You owe me a favor, after all."

"Are you seriously trying to get me to leave, with a favor?"

"If I recall correctly, _Lady Blue_ , the only reason that you have possession of your birthright is because of my help. Your sister had you dead to rights. It was a very close thing, and without my assistance, you would dead, instead of here."

"Wow, are you just going to rub it in my face? Besides, I'm not blind. I can tell that you are no longer human, _old friend._ You positively reek of inhumanity. Plus, it has not escaped my notice that I'm the only one who can see you right now."

"I see… Truly, very little escapes your sight. If that is the case, then, have you come to stop me, Touko?"

"Not right now, but, since we used to be friends, you should know that, the moment you enact whatever it is that you have planned…. I won't have a choice but to stop you."

"I understand…. Goodbye, Touko. I wish you nothing but good fortune, in what is to come."

Then, in the next moment, Araya vanished.

The Lady of the Fifth stared for a long moment at where her old friend had just been standing, and then dropped the butt of her spent cancer stick to the spot and ground it out with her heel.

She looked out over the city, and her eyes glowed with the radiance of a noonday sky.

For a moment, she saw everything that has been, was, will be, and could be.

She chuckled at what she saw, and then strode away. "Let the games begin."

* * *

 _Now_

Rin, Flat, and Shirou and the diminutive Einzbern talked and listened for what seemed like hours. Though, Rin and the German magus were the ones who did a great deal of the aforementioned talking. Shirou and Flat mostly just listened.

They had decided to split into two teams; Rin and Shirou would investigate the area where Flat said the Tall man was, while the blonde weirdo and the Einzbern would assault Ryuudo Temple.

After the little hellion and her entourage had left, Rin had sunk into her chair with a loud groan.

For a long moment, neither she, Flat, Shirou, or their Servants said anything.

Then, Flat spoke up. "So, what now?"

"First, tell us where you know the Tall Man is. You said that you have an idea, right?"

"Oh, right. Well, it's not really my idea, more like 'it's' idea. 'It' told me that he is in that weird spiral building in the Miyama District."

That seemed to get Shirou's attention. "The Semina-Ogawa Arpartment Complex? That's where I live."

Really? That was interesting. "Very well. Now that we know, I suggest that we stay here for the night."

That got his attention. "Huh? W-why?"

She jabbed a finger into his face. "I am not letting you out of my sight, blonde weirdo. You and your stupidly powerful servant are staying here tonight!"

"Oh, um… okay. Is that fine with you, Altera?"

The Saber, who, along with the other Ancient heroes, nodded. "It will be sufficient."

* * *

 _The Perfect Man seethed with anger._

 _It wasn't fair. The Pale Man was a nobody, from a lesser caste. He was the son of a charioteer!_

 _So, why did he seem so perfect? Why was it that everything he did seemed so seamless?_

 _Why did he seem like a true hero, and not the Perfect Man?_

 _As the years went by, the Perfect Man would see more of the Pale Man, and they would fight and clash again and again._

 _Through it all, as the War began, The Perfect Man began to take interesting suggestions from a new subordinate of his, who went only by the name of 'Black.'_

 _Were some of his suggestions… less then honorable and good? Perhaps, but it helped them to win against the Usurper and the Pale Man. Eventually, Black became the Perfect Man's charioteer and personal attendant throughout the war._

 _He saw the Pale man, bleeding from almost every space o his skin. His armor was gone, but in his hands… he held the spear of the Perfect Man's divine father._

 _The perfect man watched was the Pale Man used the divine spear to slay a terrible monster._

 _He saw the Pale Man, struggling to lift his chariot wheel form the ground, where it had fallen. His back was turned to the Perfect man._

 _It was a perfect, gods-given opportunity._

 _"Take the shot," Black whispered in his ear, his voice clear despite the calmor of battle all around them. "Do it. Prove once and for all who is the greater hero."_

 _The Perfect Man drew back on the Bow of Agni, the arrow and string taunt against his cheek._

 _"Do it."_

 _He released._

 _As the arrow soared through the air, straight and true, the Perfect Man's true enemy lifted his head and looked over his shoulder._

 _He did not try to run, or even dodge._

 _On his face was… a smile._

 _There was no anger, no fear, no sorrow._

 _There was just acceptance, and… pity._

 _The expression did not change, even as his head flew from his shoulders in a torrent of blood._

 _He watched as his rival and brother's body collapsed to the ground. He had done it…. He had done it!_

 _He had won. He was the Perfect one, the Perfect Hero!_

 _Even as the Imperfect man laughed, though more out of exhaustion then any actual humor, tears were streaming down his bloody and soot-covered face._

 _Why was he crying?_

 _When he turned to look at Black, there was no one there…_

* * *

 _Her first memory was waking up. All around her was naught but ruins and destruction._

 _Her first sensation was the feeling of her sword in her hand._

 _The second thing she saw were several strange humans, clothed in furs, and riding on strong horses._

 _They took her in, clothed and fed her._

 _In turn, she led them, united them, and razed to the ground all that stood in her way._

 _To the survivors of her attacks, they called her "the Scourge of God."_

 _To her followers and adopted people, she was like the war god Mars come again, and they worshiped her as such._

 _In time, destroying cities became like a second nature to her. She recognized that she was good at it, to say the least, and accepted it, for the most part. It was all that she really knew how to do, after all._

 _But, sometimes, when she was left with the privacy of her own thoughts, she wished that she could do something else. Wasn't there more to life, then just the destruction of civilization?_

 _There had to be more…. Right?_

* * *

Rin woke up, a noise that was halfway between a gasp and a scream echoing in her lips.

It couldn't be. That had to have been a lie, right? That maniac… it couldn't have been her Archer, right?

"Is everything alright, Master?"

She flinched at the voice and looked up to see the concerned face of Arjuna, staring at her from the door.

 _A soot-and-blood-stained face, tears streaming down, while dark laughter bubbled forward from his lips._

"Master?"

"It… it's nothing. Just a bad dream. I'm fine."

That couldn't have been him.

Right?

* * *

The Awarded hero frowned as he closed the door to his Master's room.

He could feel that she was being less than forthright with him. The look on her face had spoken quite clearly.

She couldn't know…. Could she?

 _"She knows what you are. She has to disappear."_

With some difficulty, Arjuna quashed the dark impulses. No, it would not come to that.

Not yet, at least.

* * *

Later, Rin woke up, and did her best not to look at her Servant for too long, the dream still fresh in her mind.

Though, she then had more pressing concerns as the smell of smoke began to fill the house.

She did not know whether to be annoyed or amazed at the blonde weirdo, who had apparently been trying to make breakfast.

Seriously, how does a person burn _water_?

Then, a moment later, the sprinklers turned on.

Shirou had to stop her from attempting to strangle Flat.

Later, as the trio all dried off and changed, Shirou then posed a question. "So, what now?"

As Rin toweled off her hair, she sighed, the discussion from yesterday, and the memory from last night still as clear of crystal. "In all honesty…. I just think that what we need is a day of _fucking_ normalcy. No explosions, no serial killers, no psychopathic little snow gnomes, no scary red-headed bitches, no Servants…"

"Okay, okay, we get it."

Rin nodded to the two boys. "Good, so, since it is the weekend, I declare that we have a fun day of normalcy." She then briefly glanced at where Archer was standing.

That laughter… She shook her head. "That includes no Servants, until tonight."

That garnered her some odd looks. She had to think up a reason, and fast. "Look, it's daytime, and none of the other participants would be stupid enough to disregard the rules by attacking us in broad daylight, in front of countless witnesses. Besides, if there is an emergency, we can always just summon our Servants with a command Seal.

The two boys seemed to mull her explanation over for a minute, and then nodded, albeit hesitantly. Flat then looked up. "So, in that case, what are we going to do today?"

* * *

They had breakfast out (and Rin made sure that they were seated at a table that was as far from the kitchen as possible, she was taking no chances with Flat!) and then they just walked about, with no clear destination in mind. They just wandered from place to place. It was still over cast, but a bit warmer than it had been for a while, so they felt no discomfort being outside.

They toured the Miyama district, walked down by the River. The gawked at all the shops in Verde. At one point, she and SHirou had to pull away the entranced Flat from the window of the toy store.

Seriously, what was he, twelve?

They acted like normal teenagers (though Rin was unsure if Flat was a teenager, despite having the mentality of what she could only describe as a hyper active child).

They even went to that fancy water park, Exciting Splash, for a few hours. That had been fun.

Through it all, they kept their minds not on the War, or on the battles to come, but on silly, strange, normal, and everyday things.

For the entirety of the day, they were not participants in a secret and ancient deathmatch over a Wish-granting Device, nor were they magi of the moonlit world.

They were simply ordinary teenagers having a fun Saturday.

Nothing more, and nothing less.

* * *

They had decided to head to one of the fancier restaurants in Shinto for dinner. In a few hours, they would have to meet up with the albino psycho fairy, and begin their plan, but, for the moment, they wanted one last good meal.

Besides, none were sure if they would be coming back.

As they walked down the street, Rin glance about, and saw someone that made her stop cold.

It was Sakura.

Her brown hair was now neatly combed, and she was dressed in warm and simple clothing.

Their eyes met.

Rin gestured to her two companions to carry on. She would join them later at the restaurant. She then strode forward until she was about a foot from the other girl.

For a good moment, the two sisters did not move, and just looked at another. "We should talk."

For a good while, seated on a nearby bench, that was what they did. Sakura told her everything. Rin found herself alternating between cursing their father and Zouken and Shinji, weeping for her sister and Uncle Kariya, or just being dumbfounded with pure shock.

Ten years… ten years that Sakura had suffered through pure hell.

Why? Because their father had thought it would be best? This it was the only way to not squander her talent?

How could Rin have been so blind, so stupid to Sakura's suffering?

How could she have just done nothing?

Rin cradled her head in hands, and it was taking all her willpower not to burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. I should have seen it. I'm so sorry. I should have understood."

She felt Sakura lightly pat her on the shoulder.

"It's like I told you, Rin. I don't blame you for not understanding. I've been doing a great deal of thinking over the past day, and the sad truth is that we were just children. What could you have possibly done that would have changed anything?"

"I could have reached out to you, or something, but all I did was not even acknowledge your existence."

"I know. That, I may never be able to forgive you for, but, maybe now, we have a chance to move on."

Sakura then took Rin's hand. "Whatever you and Shirou and the others have planned…. I would like to help you."

"Of course."

So, Rin explained to Sakura what the plan was. Sakura then agreed to join her and Shirou in investigating the Apartment complex.

After Sakura left, Rin rejoined Flat and Shirou at the resturant.

They had a nice, rich, and filling meal. Before they knew it, however, they were already on the way back to the Tohsaka residence.

As they walked Shioru looked towards Rin and smiled. "This was a fun day, today, Tohsaka."

Flat then nodded his head. "Yeah, it was just super fun. Very cool!"

Yeah… it had been a fun day.

Rin was not sure when she could ever experience another such day.

* * *

At first, the judge had been hesitant to grant Daisuke a search warrant for the Semina-Ogawa Apartment complex, but then, Daisuke had done a bit more digging and reaching out to other areas that had a Semina-Okgawa Apartment complex.

Since they had been put up, each area had also been experiencing strange deaths.

The total number of bodies was a disturbing 108.

How had no one made this connection before now?

Finally, the judge had acquiesced.

Daisuke then called up all the SAT teams that were available in the area. If these killings were connected to something bigger, then it only stood to reason that they were going to need all the help they could get.

It would end tonight. These killings would finally be stopped.

At least, he hoped so.

* * *

After meeting with the Einzbern, who had accepted Sakura's addition without much fanfare, the two teams parted.

In the back of their minds, they all hoped it would work out, but could not help but feel that something would still go wrong.

* * *

 _This was a bit of an insult to his great and prodigious talent, this current task, but that did not mean he couldn't still enjoy himself a bit._

 _The two maids had managed to put up a decent fight he supposed, but they still fell like stupid little fake flies to his brilliance and power._

 _Gleefly singing his favorite Beethoven symphony, he casually walked on and over the burnt corpse of the maid with the giant halberd and searched the rest of the house._

 _After a bit of searching, he located what he had been tasked with finding._

 _So, this was it, the great Mystic Code of the Einzbern family._

 _It was admittedly pretty, and the power radiating from it was nothing to sneeze at. At any other time, he would have pilfered it, and taken its power for himself._

 _As of now, though?_

 _A moment later, he let the ashes fall through his fingers._

 _His task done, he strode out of the mansion. Then, however, he stopped, turned around, and looked over the great mansion._

 _He smirked._

 ** _Again!_**

 ** _Again!_**

 ** _Again!_**

 _Soon, there was nothing but ash, flames, and laughter, before he let the darkness close around him again._

* * *

Rin had not been sure what to expect when she, Shirou, Sakura, and their servants neared the Apartment complex. Certainly, none of them had been expecting the sight of a small fleet of police vehicles, and heavily armed police and SAT officers.

What the hell was going on?

"How are we going to get in now," Rin mused aloud, still doing her best not to look Arjuna in the eye.

Archer looked all around them, and then looked up, towards the building's roof.

He then looked to Assassin and Rider. "There might be a way…"

* * *

Rin had decided that, if she were to ever fly again, it would be in an airplane, and not being carried under the arm of an ancient hero who may or not be a psychopath.

Seriously, it felt like there was a bug in her teeth!

Meanwhile, Sakura got to ride of a freaking winged horse! Sure, it was made of paper, but still!

Despite her complaint, she had to admit that, so far, the plan was going on without a hitch. The trio and their servants had gotten to the roof of the Apartment complex without any trouble, having leapt/ taken off from a nearby building.

She wondered how Shirou could stand to live in a place like this. It just felt creepy.

The hallways had creepy colors and art, the doors were creepy, and seriously, who made an apartment building circular?

They had traversed a few floors down, when they heard loud and clear footsteps coming around the corner.

It was a large group of SAT officers.

Before the three Masters could hide, they were spotted, though, the Servants did manage to shift into Astral form.

"What are you doing here?" the lead Officer demanded of the teens.

Shirou was the first to speak. "We live here. What's going on?"

"Official SAT business. We have reason to believe that the serial killer is in this building. Please, return to your apartment, and lock the door."

Serial killer?

Before anyone could do anything else, the lights suddenly began to flicker.

Suddenly, over the shoulder radios of the SAT officers, loud screams could be and the shooting of bullets heard, as well as an accented woman's voice, who was screaming out the same thing over and over again. _"What color are the walls?!"_

Then, the lights flickered off. The SAT officers each switched on an assortment of lights.

The sound of slow and ponderous footsteps caught their attention, and all the lights swerved over th greet this new arrival.

It was the tall man from school!

There was fresh blood dripping from his hands, and one loosely gripped a strange Chinese sword, its blade black with odd red lines crisscrossing over it. Blood fell off its edge.

Despite themselves, the officers and the three Master's all felt a shiver of fear race down their spine as the tall man looked over them all with his shadowy eyes.

The SAT members all trained their firearms at the man. Their commander then spoke. "Sir! Please drop your weapon, get down on your knees and interlock your hands behind your head."

He simply looked at them all, and then took a step forward.

"Sir, I repeat! Drop your weapon and get down. On. The. Ground!"

Another step.

"If you do not comply, we will open fire!"

He kept walking. Then, one of the heads of the officers suddenly exploded in a burst of gore.

"Open fire!"

The bullets rang out, but none hit him. Some he lazily blocked, sliced, and deflected with his sword, or what looked like five glowing flower petals, and the others just…. Stopped and floated around him, like tiny moons orbiting about a celestial body.

The officers kept firing, and he kept walking forward. Then, he gestured, and the front group were all shredded by their returning bullets.

Another gesture had an invisible force rip away their firearms.

A few pulled out their batons and tried to rush him. The first lost his head. The second was crushed into a wall. The third was bisected from head to groin.

He did not even pause in his stride.

He was tearing through them all as if they were wet tissue paper.

One of the SAT officers at the very rear began to scream into his radio, all the while still firing his weapon. "We need back up on floor 8 immediately! Officers down, I repeat, officers…"

The rest of his sentence was cut off with a wet gurgle when the tall man's hand impaled itself through the officer's chest.

As the officers all died, Rin, Sakura, Shirou, and their Servants all turned and fled.

Behind them, the sound of footsteps remained strong, as the screams faded.

In the next moment, they found themsevels trapped in a dead end. Where had that come from.

The sound of footsteps grew louder.

Then, Rin saw a door, and all but lunged at it's handle.

It was unlocked.

The footsteps drew closer.

"Here, through this door!"

Shirou glanced about. At first it seemed like he saw it too. But then, he looked at her. "What door?"

What the hell was wrong with him? With a groan, she pushed him through it, followed by her and Sakura.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

Mount Enzou was soon filled with the sounds of laughter, thunder, and roaring.

A moment later, what looked like a fireball of thunder and roaring collided right into the surrounding forest, devastating it for a good few miles.

The comet soon split, to reveal the gargantuan form of Velvet's Rider Servant, and the slightly less gargantuan form of Heracles.

This time, despite the swirling torrent of madness that caged his mind, the Greatest Hero of Greece was more prepared, as well as having been bolstered by a few of his master's command seals.

Through it all, Rider just laughed.

They jumped at the other, fists flying and punching and slamming. Up they went once again, back towards the temple.

Back at the temple, an equally grand and destructive battle was taking place. A Pacific demigod and a living book fought against the Slayer of Grendel, and the Scourge of God, while their Masters battled in the ways of Magi.

At least, that was how Touko Aozaki and Illyasviel von Einzbern were fighting. Flat Escardos mostly just ran away from Alice whenever he could.

* * *

Illya had always been very confident in her abilities, both as a Master, and as a magus.

It was what she had been designed for, after all.

Fighting the legendary Lady Blue, Touko Aozaki, though? It made her start to rethink her self-estimation a bit.

She absorbed and shrugged off all shots from Zelle, and even took a Storch Ritter to the face without injury or flinching.

Wait… that wasn't right.

It was almost like the energy was being… consumed the moment it came into contact with her.

That was going to make things a bit more difficult, it seemed, even as she sent another strafing of Zelle towards the Lady Blue.

Meanwhile, she saw Lugh fighting the two large wolves that had once been Waver Velvet's legs.

How very weird.

Aozaki laughed. "You know, for an Einzbern, and a homunculus, you're not too shabby. I can't wait to take you apart, and see how you're made, little girl!"

Illya managed to keep her face schooled in an expression of haughty disdain. "You shouldn't have such bravado before the battle is over Lady Blue!"

* * *

Flat wasn't;t sure how much more of this he could take.

Seriously, who fought with floating cutlery?! It was just so weird, and yet so cool.

He then yelped and dived behind one of the temple buildings, narrowly avoiding getting skewered.

Then, a slight whooshing noise alerted him to the fact that more were coming towards him.

With no where left to run, she threw up his hands and then randomly flooded his circuits.

The cutlery suddenly stopped in midair, and then... turned around and began attacking itself!

With some confusion, the blonde boy looked down at his hands.

How had he done that?

* * *

Alice raised an eyebrow in surprise as Hey Diddle, Diddle began to attack itself.

... unexpected.

* * *

With a loud clang, Maui's fishhook clanged against the blades of Hrunting and Naegling.

The demigod grinned. This second Berserker was truly a joy to fight.

He jumped forward, knocked aside the red sword in the Berserker's right hand, and then bit him, hard on the neck, having shifted his teeth into those of a shark's.

In the next moment, he tore.

Despite the ghastly wound, the brawny Berserker laughed, and radied his weapons for another go.

Maui retunred the grin.

How he had missed this feeling, and the roar of combat!

* * *

Nearby the Scourge of God clashed aganst a ghastly and massive thing with no mouth, and flesh of red, black, spikes, and jagged edges.

As she parried a blow, Altera readied the Photon Ray, and jumped up and around the monster's next blow.

The blade arced down towards the creature's neck.

* * *

Suddnely, down from the sky came what could only be described as a great and firey comet, which exploded upon the pavement.

In the next moment, there came a great burst of air from all around, and, indeed, it felt as if the battle itself had been cut.

"Enough!" Came a powerful and husky voice. It soucres seeon emaerged from the smoke and debris.

It was a beautiful woman, with hair the reached her ankles. She was dressed in a flowing kimono covered and embroidered with flowers. In the hand of the kimono-wearing woman was a katana, simple, but well made that seemed to radiate a decent aura of age and power. All about her was a strange, dark blue miasma that practically radiated the idea of Death itself.

By her side was a wolfish-looking individual with a burning spear and grey skin.

Touko and Wver looked upon a face that they had not seen for almost ten years. "Shiki?!" they both exclaimed in slight confusion.

The woman and her servant ingnored them, and yet addressed them all. "This is not the battle that thou should be fighting, magi and ancient heroes. The true enemy has been mving beneath thine feet. Cease thy idiocy at once!"

Before they could all clash once again, and before Shiki could say any more, the sound of haughty and confident laughter drew all their attention.

It was a man, seemingly standing upon thin air.

He was confidence and arrogance and gold given flesh. He wore armor that seemed crafted from pure gold, and it was as magnificent as its wearer. His single good eye swept across all the combatants with a sneer, before he clasped his eye upon the second Rider of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

When he spoke, it was if he spoke with the authority of the heavnes themselves. "It gladdens me most greatly that you are here among this selection of mongrels, Rider. Alas, you have been taking too long in cleaning the board of the rabble, Son of Thor, and so, I have come! Please make this battle as grand as our previous bout, _Magni_!"

As he spoke, a golden portal phased into existence above him. He reached up, and withdrew from it, a strange and terrible thing, that both was, and was not, a sword.

Magni, son of Thor, looked upon the floating gold man, and his bearded face lost any and all joviality.

The sound of thunder then filled every last inch of the night air.

Then, in his massive hand, the Rider held a weapon of unparalleled power. It was beautiful, in the way that only a well-crafted hammer could possibly be. Its head was engraved with runes and lighting and gold and goats. Though it looked quite weighty, the giant hefted it easily in one hand as if it weighed nothing. The King of Heroes' smirk deepend to an almost psychotic depth, and he raised high his impossible and terrible weapon.

The stormy sky then filled with Gold.

* * *

Rin could not see a thing. Whatever room they had stumbled into, it was pitch black

The lights then flickered on, and what greeted them was a horrific sight.

They were within a large chamber. In the center were several large tanks. Within each was a floating body.

Each had a placard attached to it.

 _L. Shirazumi. Assimilated; 1998_

 _K. Fujou. Assimilated; 1998_

 _F. Asagami. Assimilated; 1998_

All of these, and more, with the latest being only last year.

Surrounding it, however, were piles upon piles of… brains, in tanks.

It looked like something out of a horror movie, or perhaps the mind of a psychotic mad man.

Then, at the very back, floated that of a small child.

 _S. Emiya. Found; 1996_

What the hell was all of this?

The confused teen put up a hand on the tank that held his doppelganger. Rin looked at it, something having caught her eye. "Shirou… why do you have only one command Seal?"

The boy paused, and then looked at his hand, which clearly showed only the bottom of the lotus design.

He then slowly turned to look at the two sisters, a confused expression on his face. "I… I don't know."

Then, next to him, Assassin sighed through his mask. "I really wish that you had not noticed that, Master of Archer."

A moment later, with a terrible and strange speed, Assassin severed Shirou's arm at the elbow, and then leapt away into the shadows, the limb securely in hand.

Rin and Sakura rushed to the now screaming boy, who gripped his bleeding stump with a hand that was swiftly turning red, while Archer and Assassin scanned the area for any sight of the Servant of the Shadows.

Then, they all heard a voice, and it was as deep and as slow as the ocean's floor. "I applaud you two for finding this place."

It was him. He was standing on the other side of the room. Where had he come from?

Before Arjuna could even loose his arrow, or Rider could spring forward, the Tall Man spoke a single word. "Saver."

A moment later, the same titanic pressure from before slammed down on them all, save for the tall man, and Assassin, who emerged at his side like a dutiful dog. Then, behind the tall man manifested a strange figure.

This figure was male, though he was thin almost to the point of being gaunt. Rin could clearly see each of his ribs poking through his pale skin. It looked like he was sitting upon a pillar made of green vines and leaves and branches. A living throne, as it were. Though, oddly enough, it was as if his green hair was one with the strange throne.

He was dressed in simple crimson robes, and on his face was an expression of infinite compassion and resigned sorrow.

For some reason, he seemed familiar to the struggling Rin, and then she saw his elongated earlobes, and the way that he was sitting...

The moment it clicked in her mind, the Servant's True Name, Skills, and stats were all laid bare before her.

"That's not possible," she whispered through the pain. How can that be a Servant?

She then strained to look up at the impassive face of the tall man, hard as it was, with her face being all but shoved into the cold floor. "What are you, monster," she screamed. "How the fuck did you summon the fucking _Buddha_ as a Servant?!"

The tall man and his impossible Servant studied her, Sakura, and the now weeping Shirou for a long and silent bit. "You desire to know who I am, Rin Tohsaka? What I am?"

The tall man raised his hand up to his face.

"I am a monk, and I will remember all those who have died."

He then gripped his face and… began to tear at his flesh. As he did, a new face and body appeared.

It was a man in bright red clothing and long blonde hair, with a deranged look in his eye. "I am a magus, and I deserve to be acknowledged."

A man in glasses, with an eerie and empty smile on his face. "I am a teacher, and I will speak the True Words, and yet, I will remember nothing."

A girl, holding her abdomen. "I am a girl, and I just want to feel."

A cadaverous woman, with long hair that reached her ankles. "I am a dying woman, and I just want to fly."

A weary man, with messy black hair, and a dark suit. "I am a killer, and I killed them all, so that I could try to save the world."

A tall man in a red cloak, with bronze skin, white hair, and angry gray eyes. "I am a hero, and I wish that I never became one."

A blonde boy covered in blood licked his lips. "I am a Beast, and I will hunt and devour them all."

A small boy with glowing eyes, standing next to a portly woman in a veil. "We are seers, and I will always know what comes next."

The thing tore at its face again, and again, and then, to Rin and Sakura and Shirou's shock and horror, a very familiar face was staring back at them.

It was Shirou, and its… his? Eyes were as blank as a canvas.

"I am a boy, who will never exist, and never did."

There was then one final flash and flicker.

The _thing_ standing in front of the sisters and now one-armed boy was tall, and its skin and hair were as white as bone. It seemed to be a muscular, lean, and androgynous mixture of all the people Rin had just seen, plus a few that she did not. Its eyes were a head-ache inducing collage and mixture of swirling colors and symbols. Its form was garbed in rags and bandages and other things.

Around its neck was a string of prayer beads.

It looked at them, and then spoke, in a voice was that was at once a mixture of many, and yet also uniquely singular in pitch and tone. "I am nothing, and nobody, and yet we are something, and everybody. I am Legion, and yet we are One. I am a Creator, and a Destroyer. I am Nothingness, and yet I am its Denial and Reflection."

It strode past the sisters and their Servants, and then stopped and knelt in front of the dumbfounded boy. "What we are, what I am, is the Rejection of nothing, and the Assimilation of everything. We are all Named and Known, and yet… I am Nameless, and Unknown."

It reached down and seemed to caress Shirou's head with its long and powerful fingers, as if it were saddened by what it had to do.

Then, it pulled his head from his neck with a sharp tug, and its form was bathed in blood.

As Rin and Sakura both began to scream in shock and horror and rage at the act, the thing stood up and turned towards them, the decapitated head of their friend held loosely in its hand. Even as they kept screaming, they watched in horrid fascination was what looked like gears and other metal bits dripped and dropped down from the giant hole where his neck had once been.

A moment later, the thing tossed aside the head, and it landed and rolled right next to Rin's face with a wet splat.

All she and Skaura could do was just scream.

"Do not weep over this thing, for it was nothing more than a puppet that has just completed its purpose. Soon, it will be over."

The look in its strange eyes was beyond ghastly as it looked upon the restrained sisters. "And I will free you all."

It then nodded to the impossible Servant.

The crosslegged Servant slowly opened his green eyes, and then spoke a single, powerful word.

 ** _Chakravatin_**

There was suddenly a flash of gold, and then… there was nothing but darkness….

* * *

Over the skies of Japan, the night sky was filled with gold….

* * *

 **A/N: Well, a whole of things have just gone down, and things have really gone from bad to worse.**

 **Read, Review, and Enjoy. Your enjoyment makes the task of writing this all the more bearable and enjoyable.**

 **Also, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!**

Class: Saver

True Name: Buddha

Master: The Nameless

 **STATS**

STR: A

END: A  
AGI: C

MAN: B

LCK: B

NP: EX

 **Class Skills**

Charisma: A+

Counter Hero: A+

 **Personal Skills**

Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig: EX

Kalaripayattu: EX

 **Noble Phantasms**

Chakravatin: ?

Amita Amitabha: EX

* * *

Rider: Magni

Master: Waver Velvet

 **STATS**

STR EX

END A++

AGI A

MAN EX

LCK B

 **Class Skills**

Riding: A++

Due to his nature as a god and a giant, as well as inheriting the aspects of his father, Magni is able to ride anything, like lightning bolts. Dragons are exempt, though.

Magic Resistance: A+

Modern Magi cannot touch him.

Berserk: EX.

Never retreat, never surrender, and never take a conscious step back. Always keep moving forward, ready to kill and fight until death, and even after. Once Thor's Divine core is destroyed, this skill will be replaced with Pure Mad Enhancement.

 **Person Skills**

Divinity: A (E). As the son of a god and a giant, Magni should have the highest divinity possible. However, after Ragnarok, his divinity steadily decreased. However, as long as Thor's divine core within him remains intact, his divinity is A ranked.

Resemblance of the Father: -

Until his true name is revealed, even if he uses Mjolnir, Magni's true name will be registered as Thor. This skill is also from the fact that he is not a well-known figure in Norse sagas.

Monstrous Strength A++

Due to his nature, it is said that Magni was even stronger than his father.

Double Summon: A

Magni qualifies as both Rider and Berserker, due to inheriting Thor's Divine Core. Once it is destroyed, he will revert to a pure Berserker class.

Twilight Survivor: EX

Due to surviving the very end of the Gods and the world itself, Magni will continue fighting until the very end. A combination of Battle continuation, Poison resistance, and Independent action.

Thunder: A

Natural Body: A

 **Noble Phantasms**

Gulfaxi: A+. The horse of Magni.

Megingjord: A+

Mjolnir: A++

The legendary hammer of his father Thor, which Magni is said to have inherited after surviving Ragnarok.

Mjolnir Ragnarok: EX

Preview of the Next chapter.

 _He strode through a field, and it was filled with naught but death._

 _On the ground, there seemed an endless of supply of dead and dying, blood and viscera._

 _"Such a sad sight. It's amazing how these little creatures.  
Overhead, the full moon was the color of blood. _

_"Do we have a bargain, sorrowful man?"_

 _He looked once more upon the body of the small child. He looked once more upon the endless corpses, and the carion birds._

 _He then looked at her._

 _"We do."_


	10. Fate Distortion Interlude

Fate/ Distortion Interlude

 _From the moment that he was born, it was said that he had been a rather quiet and unusal child, and that he hardly ever moved when he didn't have to._

 _As his parents and siblings would later learn, it was not because he was simple. It was just beacuse he had felt that he did not have much to say, and instead chose to observe. He laos chose not to speak much, or, indeed, do anything that would casue anyone or anthing any amount of suffering._

 _Still, his demeanor unnerved them enough that he was soon sent off to a temple, to be a monk, and be far from the sight of his family._

 _He had simply accepted it._

 _Among the monks, and their contemplations of the teachings of the ascended one, he found a sort of peace. Among them, his quiet nature was not looked upon as an oddity._

 _Some even compared his demeanour to that of the Enlightened one, though he paid those whisperings no mind._

 _When he had fully grown, he had chosen the path of a wandering monk. Though it had it's hardships, he still considered it to be a bright, if brief, period in his existence._

 _Like all bright things, though, it was soon consumed by darkness._

 _He had entered into a province, where two of its lords had been on the brink of war. Having accumulated a bit of a reputation as a man known for his honest wisdom and sage advice, the two lords had sought him out as a mediator for their dispute._

 _He had listened to their grievances and accusations, deliberated, and had then given advice that he thought would be able to satisfy their quarrel with eacother, without resorting to blood shed and suffering._

 _To his sorrow, as he would later discover, they had not listened to him….._

* * *

 _He strode through a field, and it was filled with naught but endless death and suffering._

 _On the ground, there seemed an endless of supply of dead and dying, blood and viscera._

 _The crows and ravens, and scavengers were eating well, this day._

 _He then came upon a soldier who had lost an arm, and had three arrows sticking out of his back._

 _The man, though he was really more of a boy, was silently weeping, while her groaned in agony. "H-help me."_

 _The monk looked down upon him. "I can't. You've lost too much blood. By the time we find a healer, you will already be long dead."_

 _"I-i-it hurts…"_

 _"I know. But, all I can promise is that you will not suffer any more. Please, tell me your name."_

 _"K-kakashi."_

 _The monk's hands slowly encircled the boy's neck. "I promise that I will remember you, Kakashi. Close your eyes, and take a deep breath."_

Snap.

 _On and on he strode through the quiet battlefield, performing these darkly merciful deeds._

 _Some begged for mercy, some cursed him, their selves, or everything._

 _But they all wept, just the same._

 _He still continued on, and freed them._

 _It seemed like days went by, but he continued._

 _He had even come across the bodies of the feuding lords, and they had died upon the other's blade._

 _He buried them, side by side._

 _Finally, when he came across the body of a small child, riddled with arrows, after feeling like he had traversed the entire length of the batleifeld twice over, he just collapsed to his knees in front of the corps, staring at it in disbelief._

 _At that moment, it had simply become too much._

 _What had been the point of all of this? What had been the point of this battle, of this war, of all of this suffering?_

 _Land?_

 _Honor?_

 _Vengance?_

 _Did anyone on either side even really know? Had the two feuding lords even really known?_

 _In a few years, no one would even care, and the cycle would just repeat all over again._

 _It was all just… so pointless._

 _So much suffering, and all for such trivial and unknowable reasons._

 _Would it never end, the pain, the suffering?_

 _Did anyone even want the cycle to end?_

 _Did anyone even care enough to want to try?_

* * *

 _He did not know how long he had remained there, kneeling in the mud, and staring at the small corpse. Though his stomach cried, and his throat grew dry, he did not move._

 _What was the point?_

 _Then, there came a voice."Such a sad sight. It's amazing how these little creatures are always eager to kill one another, and over such trivial things. Wouldn't you agree?"_

 _He looked up. Before him was a strange sight. It was a young girl, with skin a radiant as a full moon, and dressed in a kimono that was all at once simple, and yet elegant and flowing._

 _Behind her was what could only be described as a mountain of white fur, fangs, and pure hatred. To look upon it was to know hatred at it's unknowable apex._

 _The girl looked at him with eyes of pure blood, and a fanged smile that just looked wrong. "It's never going to stop, you know," she continued, as she kept smiling. "They are going to keep doing this to themselves, over, and over, and over, until the very end."_

 _"I know," he rasped, his first spoken words in days._

 _She then looked at him, as if she had just discovered a particularily interesting insect beneath her foot, and was not yet ready to crush it. "You seem much different then most humans that I have come across. I wonder… if I gave you the chance to affect change, to oppose this endless cycle in some manner, what would you do, Souren Araya?"_

 _He did not ask how she knew his name, and instead simply answered her. "I would find a way to not just oppose it. I would end the cycle of suffering, end it in such a way that it could never again begin anew."_

 _The Moonlit being looked at him again for a long moment, and then… she began to laugh, the peals ringing out amidst the quiet battlefield. "End the cycle? How very interesting, Souren Araya! How very interesting indeed!"_

 _Her eyes then began to glow. "I find you so intriguing that I shall help you. I will grant you the power, and knowledge, that you nned to complete your goal, and, in return, after, perhaps, a thousand years, I will return to you, and you can tell me if you have succeeded._

 _She chuckled again. "I had originally planned to give this offer and power to some pathetic little alchemist in far off Europe who seemed midly entertaining, but, to be quite honest, I find you to be infintly more intriguing. Plus, I think that whatever you would do with this power would be vastly more entertaining. Just thinking about the depths that you will no doubt go to… it makes me feel all warm inside."_

 _Overhead, the full moon was the color of blood._

 _"Do we have a bargain, still and sorrowful man?"_

 _He looked once more upon the body of the small child. He looked once more upon the endless corpses, and the carion birds and landbound scavengers._

 _He then looked at her._

 _It may have been his imagination, but it seemed like she had flinched, momentarily, at his gaze._

 _"We do, moonlit being."_

 _Looking back, and from an outsider's perspective, one would have been hard pressed to discern who was the proverbial devil in the bargain._

* * *

 _After that deal, a new world had opened up for him. A strange, terrifying, and secretive world, hidden away, under the fading and soft moonlight._

 _There were moments where he wondered if he regretted making that bargain with the girl who skin had shone like moonlight, if he regretted being trasnfomred intow what he was now._

 _At times, he wondered if he even cared._

 _When their bargain had been struck, she had had him drink of her blood and essenence. Under a Crimson Moon, she made him like her, and yet a unique and strange existence._

 _Immortal, she had now called him, along with another title._

 _Ancestor, and the Thirteenth._

 _It did not feel like immortality, more like persistence._

 _She had made him both like her, and yet, not like her. He both existed, and yeyt not. He had a body, and yet, like suffering, he had to change, to steal bodies, so that he could persist in his immortality. It was not his body she made changed, but his essenece, and his soul. In time, he would wear out the bodies he stole. All the while, as he did so, he planned, and prepared, for she had also given him a terrible gift, the night of his transformation, and his first death._

 _A view of the future. Once glimpse was all that he had needed, and he had then known what he would need to do…._

 _Over the centuries, and at intermittent times, he came across others who bore the same title as he. They rarely garnered his interest, and he bore no desire to invest himself into any of their plans. In turn, they left him alone as well, for the most part._

 _He kept track of several particular human bloodlines whose abilities he knew he would require in the future, sometimes either nudging them in a particular direction, or pruning them as he saw fit..._

 _When he could, he simply meditated, and pondered. He was all too aware that he had fallen far from many of the teachings that he had once held so close and dear to his heart._

 _He just could not find it within himself to care anymore…_

* * *

 _"Why are you doing this?" demanded the russian magus, as he bled freely from over half a dozen wounds. "Why have you attacked me!?"_

 _"For reasons that you could never comprehend," the Ancestor replied._

 _Soon enough though, he decided to retreat. He had done what was required._

 _Now, all he could do was just wait…._

* * *

Fuyuki City, 1996

 _He managed to intersect the suffering man as soon as he left the house of the Worm Magus._

 _It had been almost pathetically easy._

 _"Wh-who are you?", the suffering man had asked as he lay on the ground, after the Ancestor had severed his arm clean off._

 _The Ancestor looked up from where he was etching the circle into the ground with his bare finger and his own blood. "Someone who wishes to freee you of your suffering, Kariya Matou."_

 _To mollify the man, the Ancestor had asked if he had any last request. The suffering man had told him of his wicked and monstrous father, and of the young girl, who suffered everyday._

 _The Ancestor had not been shocked by what he heard. Still, he promised that he would free the girl._

 _The suffering man could sense the truth in his words, and he now seemed ready to die, as the Ancestor reached for him._

 _When the Ancestor was finished, the man known as Kariya Matou was dead._

 _The one armed man would leave the city, with new memories inside his head, and a new name._

 _The Ancestor glanced down upon the seals he had pilfered, which now lay upon the back of his own hand._

 _He then began to chant._

Let stone and earth be the essence.  
Let clay and the archduke of contracts be the foundation  
Let the End be what I pay tribute to

Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall  
Let the four cardinal gates close.  
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.

I hereby declare.  
Your body shall serve alongside me.  
My fate shall be your sword,

Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail  
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!

An oath shall be sworn here!  
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.  
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!

 **Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos  
Thou, bound in the cage of madness.  
I am he who command these chaos**

From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,  
Come forth from the ring of restraints,  
Protector of the Holy Balance!

* * *

 _"Or, perhaps I had arrived just in time."_

 _For a long time, he had ben tracking down a particular bloodline, and now, after so long, he had found it, and just as the famed Magus Killer breathed his last._

 _The bloodline of the Demoninc blacksmith._

 _The Deniers of Nothingness._

 _The holders of the First._

 _The boy did not weep at the passing of his adopted father, and instead just looked at the Ancestor, and the Ancestor looked at the boy._

 _There was no fear, or indeed, much sadness, in those amber orbs. He was just… blank._

 _Fascinating._

 _The Ancestor knew what was to come next, and knew that it had to happen._

 _The next day, the boy, and all trace and memory of him, vanished._

* * *

 _He hated it, the pain that he had to inflict upon the boy. But, the Ancestor knew that it was necessary._

 _Soon, though, the pain would end, and his plans would be enacted._

 _After nine years, he had assimilated into the boy all the sacrifices required for his final evolution. The bloodlines were all finished, and all assimilated into the boy._

 _He was becoming stronger from all the sacrifices, and training. He was becoming…. Something else. In time, he began to accept the sacrifices without resistance._

 _All save one, until now._

 _It helped the Ancestor, slightly, to think of it as the boy's revenge upon him, despite him still being the primary mind._

 _The tendrils encircled him, mind and stolen body._

 _Then, for a brief moment, there was nothing._

 _Then… he, no… then it opened its eyes._

* * *

 _As the Ancestor was asmmilated, and the tendrils receded, it was finally born, and it opened its eyes of many and shifting colors._

 _It knew what it was, and what it was comprised of._

 _At the moment of its birth, however, a hero had been sent to kill it in it's infancy._

 _It had not succeeded._

 _"Damn you!" the Counter Guardian had screamed, as he clutched the stump of his left shoulder._

 _"I'm afraid that it is far to late for that,_ Shirou," _it replied, before the hero too, was assimilated._

* * *

 _As the War drew closer, it crafted for itself the bodies through which it could continue the preparations throughout the city, it's other body._

 _Copies of the personalities and abilities of the assimilated were placed into the bodies, so as to enact the final will of It._

 _Finally, it crafted one more puppet, one that resembled the boy it had once been._

 _It would be the lure, the dagger in the shadow._

 _Soon, the final stages would begin._

 _Soon, they would all be freed._

 _It then etched into the floor a circle, anointed in blood, and began to chant…_

Let suffering and salvation be the essence.  
Let clay and the Enlightened One be the foundation  
Let the End be what I pay tribute to

Let rise a wall against the cycle that shall end  
Let the four cardinal gates be destroyed.  
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom be unmade.

I hereby declare.  
Your body shall serve alongside me.  
My fate shall be your sword,

Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail  
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!

An oath shall be sworn here!  
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.  
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!

I shall free the souls of all!

From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,  
Come forth from the ring of restraints,  
Savior of all!

* * *

 _Now_

The Nameless thing opened its eyes.

It was time.

With but a thought, it reformed itself on top of the Complex. Overhead, Saver's **Chakravatin** glowed in the night sky, ready to be unleashed.

It nodded at the Enlightened one. No words were needed.

As golden rays descended from the sky to envelope the citizens of Fuyuki city, It then formed two more bodies.

In unison, the bodies etched circles into the ground, ingoring the screams of the masses below.

The three bodies then began to chant.

Two chanted the same thing, but the third? The third chanted the words to make worlds…

 _I am the reflection of nothingness and creation…._

* * *

Name: Souren Araya/ SORROW

Rank: 13th of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors

* * *

 **A/N: A short interlude before the rest of this route. SORROW is basically this timeline's version of TATARI, as you can see, though, in my opinion, much more terrifying and dangerous.**

 **So, read, review, and enjoy.**


	11. Chapter 11

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 9

 _It was an odd dream. She was intelligent enough to know when she was dreaming. Though, she could not remember falling asleep._

 _At the moment, it seemed like she was in an antique movie theater. The gentle clicking, and whirring of the projection machine filled the room._

 _She could not make out what the film was, save that the images were too terrible to behold._

 _Aside from her, there were a few other, shadowy figures in the seats. They seemed not to notice her, or, indeed, anything at all. They were little more than statues._

 _Then, the one closest to the screen turned._

 _It was a red-headed boy, with pale skin, and amber eyes._

 _His neck was bare._

 _Why did that matter again?_

 _He opened his mouth to say something to her…._

* * *

 _Now_

When she finally woke up, everything hurt. It hurt to move, it hurt to groan, it hurt to think.

It even hurt to hurt.

After a bit, though, the pain subsided, and Rin Tohsaka slowly, _slowly_ opened her eyes.

As she did, the memories of what had happened came rushing back.

 _That thing… Shirou's murder…. "You will all be freed." A flash of gold..._

With a choked scream of terror, she shot up.

Around her was endless mountains of gold, weapons, and other things. They all shinnied with a great and terrible inner radiance. Above her was a sky that seemed forged from gems and precious metals. There seemed no end to its contents.

Where in the hell was she?

"I see that you are finally awake. I thank God for such a small mercy."

She knew that voice.

Rin slowly turned to her left and beheld a familiar face. "Kirei?"

He was standing upon a large pile of coins, and he still had that damn smile on his face.

"You and your sister were very, very fortunate, Rin. If not for the mercy and quick thinking of my good friend, then you, Sakura, and your servants would probably be dead, or worse, along with the rest of us."

"Where are we, fake priest, and what friend are you talking about?"

The voice of another answered her. "You are within My treasury, ward of Kirei. Be grateful, mongrel, for being allowed to view the interior of the Gate of Babylon in all its splendor is a privilege that I have let almost none view."

Walking towards them a handsome and terrible man. He was adorned in beautiful and mighty armor, and across the upper left side of his face was a large burn scar, though, somehow, he seemed in no way disfigured by it. Upon his face as a smile that seemed at once earnest, and mocking. The smile then dissipated as he turned towards the fake priest. "The rest of us are all assembled, Kirei. The situation outside is… fell to say the least."

"Indeed," Kirei said with a slight bow of his head. He then turned back to Rin. "You best get up and follow me, as a most deadly hour is creeping up onto the world, it seems."

"Who is he?"

"He is Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, and the Archer-class servant of the Fourth Holy Grail War, summoned by your late father."

"What!?"

"When this is all over, I will explain, if you wish, but for now, there are now more pressing matters to attend to.

* * *

It was an image of pure hell. Fuyuki City was full of shadows and terrible gold light. They could all hear the screams as its citizens and writhed.

On the roof of the Semina-Okgawa Apartment Complex stood the Nameless thing. His Saver Servant was nowhere to be seen. In front of him was a large floating orb that seemed to be oozing liquid shadows. Countless rays of golden lights enveloped the orb.

Assembled around the giant projection was Lady Blue, the weird girl who always dressed up in that penguin suit, Flat, the psycho Einzbern (who had a strangely downcast expression on her face) and her large wolf, an unkempt-looking man with one eye, Sakura, and then all the Servants.

They all watched the projection with various expressions on their faces; horror, shock, and, in the case of Lady Blue, interest. "It's like a Reality Marble. How very interesting."

For some reason, upon Kirei's face was a small smile.

Suddenly, the thing that had once been Shirou turned and seemed to be looking at them all. Then, it spoke. "I know that you are watching me, no doubt from within the relative safety of the Gate of Babylon. I can see you, despite what you may think otherwise.

"You are all no doubt wondering how to stop me. You can all do your best but understand that you will not succeed in stopping me. So, save yourself the effort, and enjoy the remainder of your various existences. Soon, it will all end, and I will free us all.

"Though, if you wish to make an effort, The Ascended one currently resides in Ryuudou temple. You can fight him, if you wish. His Noble Phantasm is an integral part of my plans, after all."

The thing then made a gesture, and the projection suddenly shorted out.

For a good moment, no one said anything. Rin did not know what to even think. She felt her hands reach up and cradle her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Archer, looking where the image had been. His face was unreadable.

 _That laugh._

He then seemed to notice her stare. "Master?"

There was too much going on, and, in the next moment, Rin found herself fleeing, with her confused servant lightly running after her.

* * *

After a bit, Rin stopped. This time, she did not stiffen at the sound of Archer's approaching footsteps.

"I just needed a moment to clear my head."

"No, that's not it at all. Why have you been acting so wary around me lately, Master?"

After a moment, Rin decided to take the proverbial plunge, and turned to look at him. "Why did you laugh?"

That must not have been what Arjuna had expected her to say. "What?"

"Why did you laugh, when you killed your own brother? Why did you do all those terrible things during the War with the Kaurava's? How can I even trust you, when you did all those terrible things!?"

The look of shock on Archer's face reminded Rin a bit of a deer caught in the headlights, though there was only a brief widening of his eyes. "Those weren't me, it was Black, and Krishna…."

"There was no Black, Arjuna! I saw your memories through the link. It was all you! Not Krishna! Why did you hate your own brother so much? How could you, a hero, have done all those terrible things!? How could you have laughed when you killed him!?"

Arjuna, the Son of Indra, was silent for a long moment, while the expression on his face slowly became cold to the point of anger. "You want to know why, _Master_? Why I did all those things? Why I laughed, when I killed a good man?"

He then turned away from her and crossed his arms. "Since the moment that I was born, everyone always heaped me with praise, and lauded how _perfect_ I was. Every moment, I received so much praise, so many fabulous gifts, that I often think it was a wonder that I did not just simply collapse from all the weight on my shoulders. Why? I never asked for it, for any of their gods-damned praises and gifts! I never asked to be labeled a hero! I was never once allowed to just be myself, to forge my own path!"

Rin remained quiet as her servant then began to rant. "Why was I chosen to be adored!? Why me!? And then, why, when I had finally thought that I did deserve those damned praises and gifts, did there have to be one who actually deserved it, who was truly perfect, who was everything that people only thought I was? Him, the unwanted son, and the adopted bastard child of a charioteer?!

"So, yes, when the thrice-damned Duryodhana became determined to over throw me and my brothers, the war with the him and the rest of thrice-damned Kauravas came, I saw that _he_ was to be my enemy in that war, and I became so very glad. I could kill him and prove myself to be better. Since that archery tournament, when he humiliated me, I had _hungered_ for his demise.

"Even then, a part of me, one that I tried to never acknowledge… that part of me knew that I could only ever win against _him_ through tricky and deceit, as to face him in true combat would have certainly meant my death, loathe as I am to admit it. In fact, I only really achieved victory because the gods, for some inexplicable reason, favored _me_ , and not him, he who had the bearing and personality of a true and faultless hero! He even had the honor of being allowed to use my father's spear! Why him!?

"So, yes, I laughed when he died, because at that moment, I had finally beaten him. Of course, later, I realized how hollow it all was, when I died before reaching heaven. Though, I think a part of me knew that, even then. Even then, until the day that I died, I still wondered….

"Why was I adored, why was I so favored and beloved and praised, when I was so _fucking_ imperfect, while he, the _perfect_ , selfless, and _heroric_ one, was cursed and hated so many times?"

His breath then hitched. "Why was it, that he did never once curse his cruel and undeserved fate, when I cursed mine nearly every other day of my existence?"

"Is that why your wish as for eternal solitude? So that no one could see this true side of you? Did you truly hate being a hero that much?" Rin asked, after a bit of silence while processing what Archer had just told her.

"…. No. I never regretted being a hero. I will even admit to enjoying it, a bit. I only desire solitude, so that I don't have to live up to the ideals of other idiots anymore, so that I can finally just be at peace, far and away from the asinine judgement and 'praise' of others."

Rin studied him for a long moment, and then… she shrugged. "I get it."

"What?"

"I get what it's like, to have to act like something you're not. To have so, so many expectations piled on you, that you're forced to live up to some _stupid_ standard, when all you really want is to just be yourself."

"What could you possibly know about it, about repressing your true self, and being something that you are not?" the Son of Indra asked, acid dripping from his words.

"My father loved me and my sister, but he was, first and foremost, a magus. Magi are paranoid, cruel, and, among other things, hate seeing potential go to waste. There were two of us, and my sister and I each had great potential. But, _supposedly_ , he could only train one of us, and to him, letting the other's potential go to waste would have been a great tragedy.

"So, one fine day, he takes me aside and tells me that Sakura is no long my sister, and that she is going to live with another family, so that she could reach her 'full potential.' He then told me that I was to no longer consider her my sister.

"So, every day, when I saw her, I had to force myself to not acknowledge her as someone that I had loved. Every day, I had to force myself not to care, to act like a _proper_ magus.

"Of course, during all that time, she was in hell, suffering, and being defiled over, and over and over again, all for the sake of being a _proper_ magus, and reaching her _full potential_.

"A magus must not care about others. They must never trust anyone, they can never love, they must always be proud, and they must only exist for the sake of passing on their crest, and to reach the Root, Akasha."

Rin then chuckled. "Of course, I am the opposite of all those things, save for my pride. I want to trust, to care, to love, and, in all honesty, I don't really give a damn about reaching the Root and attaining Magic. Still, for years, like you, I had repressed all of this, and now? Now, I understand that it's all pointless. I don't hate being a magus, but I will not let it define me. I won't become like my father, or a _proper_ magus. I will just let me be myself."

She, an imperfect magus, then looked him, an imperfect hero, right in the eye.

"So, you know what? It's okay to be imperfect. It's okay to be spiteful, and mean-tempered, and angry. As long as you don't let it define you. There is nothing wrong with being imperfect. I'm not perfect, and I understand that it's okay."

"The girl is correct, Awarded Hero."

They both turned to see that it was the Golden man with one good eye, Gilgamesh. "As my good friend Kirei learned ten years ago, denying one's true self can only ever lead to self-ruin. Let your true self bleed forth from this shoddy shell of perfection that you have woven about yourself, Son of Indra, and you will feel more at ease. You will be all the greater for it."

Arjuna looked at the both of them, his fists shaking at his side. Then, he sighed, and turned to Rin. "Only call on me when it is time to fight, _Master_. Otherwise…"

Instead of finishing, he vanished into Astral form.

The Golden Man smirked. "Come, daughter of Tohsaka. We must make plans."

* * *

"So, then what is the plan, everyone?" asked Flat, when Rin, Gilgamesh, and an astralized Archer had rejoined the rest of the gathering.

Kirei then decided to speak up. "If I may?"

When no one objected, he took it as a sign to continue. "As it stands, we cannot get near the Enlightened One, at least, those of us who are undoubtedly heroes, due to his Counter-Hero skill. As such, it seems that only those of us who are of a… decidedly non-heroic bent can can even entertain the chance getting near to him, let alone landing a blow.."

He noted that Arjuna remained conspicuously silent when that was said. Kirei then continued. "As such, that means that myself, the Hero of Greece in his current mad state, Mr. Escardos and his Servant, Lady Touko, and Lady Shiki can, for a given measure of safe, go near that holy and Irregular Servant."

"No," Shiki said. "I need to confront the thing responsible for all of this. I am the only one who can face it."

"….Very well. In that case, the rest of us shall… _escort_ you to the complex, if you wish, Lady Ryougi."

"That is going to be probably be a bit difficult," spoke up Touko Aozaki. She then nodded to her Caster. "There's a barrier around the interior of the city, where the Holy Grail and the Nameless thing are."

"Indeed. I will only be able to deposit us outside it, as the cursed thing is keeping me from entering."

"So, what then?" Rin asked.

"I suppose we will just have to figure that out when we get to the city," Kirei said.

Gilgamesh smirked, and, with a gesture, opened up a portal that was large enough to let them all through. 'Very well then. Let us all go forth, and save the world."

* * *

Rin had thought that the city had been bad from the image within the Gate of Babylon.

It still did not prepare her for the up-close thing. All the people seemed frozen in place, and on their faces were expressions of pure power, while the golden beams attached to them seemed to… drain them.

It was simply wrong, and horrifying.

"Welcome back to Fuyuki, Masters of the Holy Grail War."

They all turned. Standing before them was the Nameless Being. Before anyone could attack, Gilgamesh raised a hand. "Don't bother, it's just a projection."

"Truly, very little can fool you, King of Uruk."

Rin then spoke up to the thing. "Why are you doing all of this!? What is the point of all of this slaughter, this hell!? What was going on in the Apartments?"

"Not now, Tohsaka, the adults are talking," Lady blue said.

"There is no need to be impolite, Touko. I shall answer all your questions. It won't make much a difference.

"Each room of the apartments of The Apartment Complex is comprised of its own Texture of Reality, at least in a mental sense. The purpose, much like in Mifune, and Miskai, and many others, was to derive energy from the insanity generated by each tenet as they all hallucinated their deaths, over, and over, and over again. Enlightenment through insanity, and thus keys to the Spiral of Existence.

"As for the killings? Pity and fear are powerful things, and the amount generated from such a large city like this, especially one in the grip of a serial killer, over the course of even just a year? It's enough to power a god.

"With the prana harvested and cultivated from the endless deaths and insanity in the apartment complexes, the fear and pity from the city, along with my reality marble, the Holy Grail, and Saver's noble Phantasm, I will force open a pathway straight to Akasha."

Touko raised an eyebrow at that. "So, this has all been just to reach the Root, and attain Magic?"

"No. I have no interest or desire in Magic. I already attained the First. What I truly desire is actually quite simple; I want to end all suffering, and, as such… I plan to destroy the Root of all Existence."

Rin could not believe what he had just said in that moment. None of them could. Even Gilgamesh was rendered quiet, while Aozaki's cigarette dropped from her open mouth onto the ground.

Then, Rin was the first to find her voice again. "Destroy the Root!? If you want to put an end to suffering, then why not just wish for eternal peace, or for everyone to stop fighting!? Or even just make a new reality!?"

The projection cocked its head at her, as if she were insane. "Why would I want to do either of those things? I don't want to take away free will, pervert nature, or become some sort of god. Those would be most monstrous and useless acts. Besides, destroying this existence would only mean that a new one would spring into being, with just as much suffering as this one. That is something that I simply cannot accept."

"So, the alternative is the destruction of all existence!? You know that is what destroying the Root would do, don't you!?" Rin all but screamed.

The projection of the Nameless thing nodded. "Indeed, I am quite aware, Rin. Even as we speak, suffering exists. People, animals, plants…If not here, then somewhere else in the endless eternity known as Existence, something is suffering. The thought is… utterly unbearable to me. Akasha is existence. Existence is suffering. Suffering is evil. Therefore, Akasha is Evil, for it is the only constant in every iteration of existence that ever has been, and ever will be, and is evil not meant to be destroyed?"

It remained immobile, and indeed, there was no emotion on its face at all. "So, I will save everything, and kill the Evil that is Akasha, the Evil that is existence. I will end all suffering. I will end everything, and make sure that this cycle of suffering and evil can never have the chance to begin again."

Everyone, even Touko and Shiki, could not help but stare at the pitying thing with horror.

This was not insanity…. No, indeed, it was something far beyond that. This was compassion and pity and fear and despair, all mixed together and taken to the ultimate extreme.

It was beyond evil… It was just simply _wrong._

Gilgamesh then… chuckled at the thing's declaration. "I see. You are on the cusp of becoming one of _them_ , are you not, despairing creature?"

The projection said and did nothing for a long moment, before it suddenly snapped its fingers, and the barrier then began to drop. It then took one last look at all the Masters and Servants of the Fifth Holy Grail war, and it ignored the question of the Golden man. "Come and find me, if you all dare. Despite myself, I find that I could do with a small distraction, as could my Servants."

As it vanished, the opening beckoned, and Shiki Ryougi and Lancer were the first to dash through, with a great and urgent speed.

* * *

They then split up, with Kirei and his chosen group heading towards Mount Enzou and Ryuudou Temple, while Rin and the rest sped after the speeding Shiki and Lancer, though the Servants had to carry their Masters. Of course, it felt very awkward, getting held by Archer.

They all soon caught up to Lancer, who had screeched to a halt, and then they discovered why he had stopped.

Two beings that could only be Servants stood before them, though they seemed different… twisted even. The only common real factor between them all were the colors of red and black and yellow that shone on their powerful and twisted forms.

The first of the Servants was a towering, monstrous, and gargantuan thing of clay, and golden bones and horns and wrath. Gilgamesh's one eye widened in recognition, and then narrowed in… anger. It in turn growled when it spied the King of Heroes.

The second was a tall warrior, clad in black and red armor of bones and spines and sharp edges, and skulls. In his hand was a spiked and barbed spear. His long hair was a dark blue, and it was wild and unkempt. He radiated pure and wanton bloodlust, like a rabid hound that had acquired a taste for death and human blood. Next to him stood an unkempt looking woman in a suit with dirty maroon hair. Her eyes were wide and manic, and she twitched every so often.

"I see that my first master replaced me quickly enough," Lancer dryly noted, though he did grip his spear tightly and swallowed. He did recognize the Servant next to her, though, twisted as he had become. Rin did too, rememering all the depictions of heroes in her father's history books, read while preparing for the Holy Grail

It was Hound of Chulainn. Cu Chulainn. The Child of Light, now twisted into darkness. The greatest warrior and hero that Ireland had ever produced, and now he was their enemy. The man who held off an entire army by himself for three days, and now, he looked ready to kill them all.

The twisted demi-god's blood-red eyes spied Lancer, and he then grinned, with each of his teeth serrated and sharp, like the teeth of a shark. "Hello Celtchar. It's been a long time. Ready to die screaming, huntsman?"

Celtchar of Luin readied his burning weapon, and the blaze began to intensify. "You first, _Setanta_."

Gilgamesh and Magni each readied their own mighty weapons, as the giant of clay and wrath sighted them, and began to growl. "Once again, it seems I am destined to fight my old friend. This insult will not go unpunished. I only wish that he were in his better form for this fight."

"Once we beat this freak, you and I will have words for what you did to Waver, Gilgamesh."

For a moment, none dared to move.

Then, the woman screamed out "What color are the walls!?" before dashing forward as well, a thousand blazing runes all about her.

Caster shouted out a word of power.

Arjuna let loose a fiery arrow.

"Attack, Berserker!" screamed Illya von Einzbern.

The golden wolf growled.

Rin fired off a gandr.

The towering thing of clay then roared, while lighting flashed and thunder boomed.

The battle was joined.

* * *

Kirei had never spent much time around the Ryuudou Temple, since Catholics and Buddhists tended not to mix well. The only time he had ever really visited it had been after the Fuyuki Fire, where had had to coordinate with burials and list rites with the monks.

Besides, the temple usually felt too positive. Perhaps that was why he preferred Catholicism. More self-inflicted suffering.

When he and his group had ascended the many steps to the temple, the twisted priest had expected to find the complex in ruins, like a good deal of the city already was. However, instead the temple complex seemed oddly untouched.

Almost serene, even, though the feeling of positivity had vanished… as had all the monks.

Slowly, they all advanced into the temple, and then into the caverns beneath the temple. As they all entered into the giant subterranean cavern, they were met with three figures.

The two closer figures seemed remarkably similar, both in appearance and bearing. They were both tall and garbed in red robes and coats. The one on the right had an unobscured face, showing his dark skin with red veins, yellow eyes, white hair to the world, and angry expression to the world. He held in his hands a long black bow, with a twisted arrow nocked to it. At his side were what looked like large hand guns. The other's entire face was obscured by grey bandages and wrappings and a red hood, and he wore what seemed to be light tactical armor under his crimson robes. He gripped a long and deadly-looking knife in his right hand. A gun was holstered on his right hip, while several other knives, ammunitions packs, and firearms were all strapped about on the figure's armored person.

Behind them, in the center of the cavern, sat the Servant known as Saver, seated cross-legged upon his living throne, in an effortless lotus position. The eyes of the Buddha were closed, and he seemed to physically emanate a strange and divine radiance. It made Kirei more than a bit uncomfortable, in all honesty.

The bandaged one then looked upon Kirei. Despite no visible emotion, all could feel the palpable hate emanating from the figure towards the priest, even as the figure gripped his knife so tightly.

A moment, later, when he noticed with wide eyes the unique gun strapped to the shrouded figure's belt, Kirei understood… and the priest then smiled as he unsheathed six black keys into his hands, while his old enemy raised up his knife, and a gun that he remembered as being a Calico M950.

Such fond memories, especially of the battles in the forest and the civic center.

The other red figure raised his black bow and pulled tightly back on the bowstring, the arrow aimed square between the eyes of the Lady Touko. _"I am the bone of my sword…."_

Then, everything moved.

 _ **Zabaniya**_

* * *

There had been little to no resistance as she had made her way to the apartments, almost as if she were being invited. Still, she had to go forward.

Shiki entered the building, went through the lobby, took the elevator and pushed the button for the roof.

It seemed slow. Then, finally, she reached the roof.

The Nameless Beast was standing in front of the large orb that dripped with what could only be described as liquid darkness. In its center was a tiny white crack.

The thing's back was to her.

As she slowly drew the Kuji Kanesada from its sheathe, the thing then spoke. "I see that, in this timeline, you have come alone. I am not surprised. As such, I allowed your way here to be swift and unencumbered."

Its back remained facing her. Shiki remained ready, her grip on the heirloom katana slowly tightening.

"Did you know that the monk, before he allowed himself to become a part of me, had considered going after you? He had plenty of opportunities, but, ultimately, he deemed it to be not worth the effort."

It then turned to look at her, with its disconcerting eyes. "At least, until this moment. He knew you would try to fight me by yourself. He saw it in a vision, granted to him by something that could only be described as devil with skin like moonlight."

They slowly began to circle one another. "The monk and I watched you, watched your escapades in Mifune city, when you fought the things from the moon and beyond the stars. What always stood out to he and I, even more so than your abilities, and unwillingness to ever give up… was your arrogance. The way you always rushed headlong into battle and danger, no doubt just for the thrill of it, never once truly planning things out. I can see that has not changed, since you are her confronting me, alone, and without backup."

There was a flash of blue light, and then its hands were soon filled with black and white Chinese falchions. "You were the girl who could cut through anything and everything that stood in her path, who reveled in bloodshed, and never once backed down, even when outmatched…. To face you was if one were facing the very embodiment of death itself. Admirable, in some ways. Now, however, your foolhardiness and arrogance will be your final downfall this night, Girl who could cut Death."

Shiki blinked her eyes, and they glowed a disconcerting blue. "Perhaps, but even if I am to fall, then I will make sure that you fall with me. With these eyes, I can kill even God, and, as such, Beast, I can kill you, and put an end to this madness."

In response, the nameless Beast's eyes began to glow the same color as it readied its own weapons. "I could say the very same thing, Shiki."

The nameless thing noted the minute surprise in her face at the shift in his eyes. "Did you really think you were the only one who could see death, Shiki Ryougi? There was another."

For a brief moment, as they stared the other down, over Shiki loomed the apparition of a tall and nightmarish figure, wearing armor adorned with bones.

She then looked at the nameless Beast and raised her katana, while speaking with a strange and overlapping tone to her voice. _"The Evening Bell has tolled thy name, Beast of Despair."_

"I have no name."

One moment.

Two breaths.

Then…. The fighters moved.

One was a human who had passed the point of powerful perfection, and her expertise was enhanced by an entity whose greatest purpose was to kill those who had transgressed.

The other was a being who had shed and discarded its humanity long ago and had become that which was destined to doom humanity.

As such, their battle swiftly went beyond the ken of mere mortals.

Their blows were swifter then light and lightning, and more powerful than a dragon's rage, with each clash resonating through the hellish air like the smashing of two roaring armies against the other, and the explosion of an atomic bomb.

A thousand strokes flashed by within a second, each parried and blocked by the other just as quickly.

In the next moment, they were both flying off the edge of the apartment building.

Even as they fell, they still clashed and dashed against the other.

When they fell, the crater seemed to spread for an entire city block.

Then, first blood. A lucky and swift blow severed the Beast's left arm. It did not even flinch. "Taiten!"

The spray of blood reversed itself, and the arm reattached to the stump. As it did, the Beast dropped the sword in its right arm, and surged forward, palm outstretched.

Shiki parried it, but then left herself open to the sudden and smashing kick to the head, at a strange and unnatural angle.

She took it without flinching, even as blood dripped down the side of her head, and then it was her turn to shoot forward, and slashed up and then down in a mighty flurry of cuts.

The Beast then twisted itself backwards into an unnatural angle, even as a small plethora of swords shot out from its chest and stomach to deflect Shiki's blade. It let momentum pull itself back into a reverse flip that would have been the envy of the best contortionist acrobat.

Quick as a flash, two swords were in its hands again, ready to meet Shiki's riposte and thrusts.

Still, she was pushing it backwards, each sword clash louder than the ringing of a cathedral's bells.

It wove around a mighty slash, and the miss bisected an entire skyscraper from ground to roof.

The two then danced with death beneath the great rain of twisted metal, crushing concrete, and cutting glass.

More through instinct, Shiki suddenly leapt into the air, twisted in midair, and _cut_ the swarm of swords that sped her way.

But, to do so, that meant she could not parry the next blow, as the Beast had leapt through the swarm of swords, ignoring the countless cuts that it suffered from the action.

In a last-minute move, Shiki shot up her left arm, the one that she had lost, to the Black Wing Lord.

As the false arm flew through the air, their swords locked against each other as they fell once more, among the shower of debris and destroyed swords.

Then, eyes glowing, Shiki shoved off of the creature, flew back a few feet, and then slashed at the air about her. The sudden explosion of severed air blasted the Beast off of its feet and flying back, through the shower of debris and dead blades.

A moment later, it collided against the street, and the force of the blow made it tumble and slide along for a good mile.

In the fraction of a millisecond, as it slid and tumbled, it's guard was down.

A fraction of a millisecond was all that Shiki needed, and she shot forward like the horn of a raging rhino, having hurtled herself forward after the Beast.

The blade of the Kuji Kanesada gleamed, like a baleful star that shone into the prison cell of the condemned.

 _Shunk!_

As her now very bloody blade slid through the skull up to the hilt, the Nameless Beast's eyes rolled up into the back of its head.

She let loose a long breath of exertion. A wonderful and exciting battle, but, in the end, she had still triumphed.

Now then, it was time to put an end to all this madness.

However, when she tried to remove the blade from its skull, it would not budge. Suddenly, countless tiny tendrils shot out from the wound to encapsulate her arm. She could not move, even with the Spirit within her giving her strength.

Suddenly, there was a shapr pain in her stomach. Slowly, she looked down, and saw an exact duplicate of the Kuji Kanesada, and it was sticking out of the Beast's stomach, and impaled straight through hers.

As she struggled, the Nameless Beast's eyes rolled forward, blinked once, and then settled on her, making her slowly look back up.

"You were very wise in aiming for the head, Shiki Ryougi, but,I am afraid that, in this case, it did as much good as aiming for the heart."

The Nameless Beast's grip on her arm was tighter than a vice of iron. "It was a very good effort, Shiki Ryougi, and a most excellent fight. But, it was inevitably futile. Nevertheless, I do thank you for the momentary distraction."

Then, in the fragment of a blink of an eye, the nameless Beast's hand and arm impaled itself through her chin and exited out the upper back portion of her skull in a shower of gore.

With a last, pained gasp, Shiki Ryougi died, and the light left her mighty eyes.

The thing remained in that position for a long moment, as it looked into the dead eyes of the Girl who could have cut anything. "You've lost, Goddess of the Void. Knowing you, though, you probably don't even care. So much for the beneficence of deities."

The tendrils encapsulated the rest of the corpse and assimilated it into the Beast's body. It then teleported back to the widening portal on top of the Apartment complex, conjured up the desiccated corpse of Kiritsugu, and directed it towards the widening portal.

"Now, we shall all be free."

* * *

With a grunt, Kirei gingerly pulled out the one of the many black keys from his abdomen and chest, despite the fact that it felt as if all his nerves were on fire, and the fact that both his hands had been shattered. Meanwhile, Touko Aozaki tightly gripped the bleeding stump of her left shoulder. The Lady Blue's moth was open as she twitched and gasped hoarsely in pain on the floor.

Since she had been shot with that particular bullet, Kirei surmised that she only had minutes to live, at best. Then again, he could say the same about himself, and the rest of the group.

Flat Escardos dragged himself along the ground towards the prone figure of his Saber, the stumps of his severed leg and left arm bleeding heavily onto the stone. There were tears in his eyes.

Kirei idly wondered what would kill the boy first; the blood loss, or the shock. Probably the blood loss. At least he could see the boy's pain. Small mercies, it seemed, so that he could try and die with a smile.

Thank the Lord.

Before them, Saver still sat, radiant and serene, and so damned holy.

With a low growl, The Einzbern girl's first Berserker rose to his feet, despite the plethora of swords and other bladed implements sticking out of his hide, and even his head.

Kirei gingerly did the same.

Then, Saver opened his eyes.

There was a flash of pain and then…. nothing….

* * *

As the screaming madwoman finally breathed her last and died, Rin finally withdrew her sore hands from the woman's throat and slowly and shakenly stood up, wiping the blood from her face as she did so.

There was so much blood.

Rin then turned to survey the aftermath of the battle.

The two Riders, Gilgamesh, Waver Velvet, Caster, the second Berserker and Lancer were all dead, and the blank faced girl and her book had been burnt to ash.

Meanwhile, the other survivors were not much better off.

The Von Einzbern was propped up against a wall. There had been very little that Rin could have done to stymie the blood flow from the German magus' wounds, and the imp's giant golden wolf thing seemed to be adamant that he would stay by his master's side, despite the fact that he was covered in burn and stab and slash wounds and missing a good portion of his head.

Neither she or Rin had any Command seals left.

Meanwhile, the portion of the city where their battle had occured had now been totally reduced to nothing more than cinders and dust by the cash.

But, at least the twisted Servants were all destroyed, and Arjuna was still standing, albeit barely. Plus, Rin was feeling like she was on the fumes of fumes, herself.

Two servants. There had only been two...

Of course, there was absolutely no time to dawdle… they had to keep going… they had to stop…

Suddenly, an evil and terrible feeling lanced itself through every last atom of her being.

The last thing Rin saw was her hand, as it, and everything else, slowly turned to dust, and then even the dust disappeared.

There was no time to scream, as there was then just nothing….

* * *

As existence began to die, the nameless Beast simply sat, cross legged, as it watched the end of everything, from the roof of the Semina-Ogawa Apartment Complex. It was determined to see the culmination of all its efforts.

After all the sacrifices, the killings, and the ironic suffering that it, and the monk, had inflicted over the centuries… it was finally over.

It was just beautiful, the cessation of existence…. And yet, despite itself, despite the fact that it had triumphed, and that the cycle would never again begin, it felt… empty.

No more suffering.

No more of the Evil that was Existence.

It had finally won.

So, then, why did it feel no joy?

Perhaps… it could no longer feel such things.

That was fine. It, and everything else, would cease to matter in just a few moments.

It looked upon the nothingness around it. It was… beautiful to behold. Indeed, it was beautiful beyond compare.

The Beast then opened its arms wide, as if it could embrace it all. It did not close its eyes, even as it began to disintegrate.

Then, there was nothing….

* * *

 **A/N….**

 **….**

 **…. So yeah, I did that! I went there! I pulled an Infinity War! In other words, this was the Bad ending of This particular route.**

 **At least, one of the Bad endings.**

 **Also, this story has reached over 10,000 views! Hooray!**

 **Also, do not worry, as the story is not done yet, so, to all the Shiki fans, please put down your torches and pitchforks!**

 **So, anyway, read, review, and enjoy.**

 **A/N/N: Made some corrections.**

 **A/N/N/N: I have decided that this is the true Ending.**

* * *

Despite the fact that he was fading away into dust and nonexistence, Flat Escardos had already stopped moving, and his open eyes stared at nothing. As the end came, 'it' stood watch over the body, and 'it' remembered the boy's final words. "I guess this version went really terribly… Let's just try again, okay? Make sure the next one goes…"

There was a flash of blue, and then… there was nothing.


	12. Chapter 12

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 10

 _….._

 _….._

 _….. Initializing…_

 _…Lack of contact from Designate Zelretch…_

 _…. Initialize Survey…._

 _….. Survey of Kaleidoscope Initialized….. Surveying Kaleidoscope Facets zero through XXX…._

 _…. Error… Error… Lack of physical continuity…. All Facets Zero through XXX have been… Erased…_

 _… Error…Error_

 _… Scanning…._

 _…Alarm… Alarm…._

 _… The doorway has been opened…._

 _…. **They** are coming…_

 _….. **They** must not be let through…_

 _…Implementing Emergency Restart protocols of the First through the Fifth…_

 _… Emergency Restart protocols engaged…_

 _… Initializing Reboot process…_

 _… Attempt Number 1.00 engaged..._

 _… 3%... 4%... 5%... 6%... 10%... 10.8%... 12%... 34%... 43%... 56%... 65%... 80.1%..._

 _100 #*($ &(*$&(*&(* )Q&$*()&$ ErROr..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _…_

 _…. **[01001001**_

 ** _01110011 01100101 01100101_**

 ** _011110001 01101111 01110101_**

 ** _01100001 01101100 01101100]_**

* * *

 _It was an odd dream. She was intelligent enough to know when she was dreaming. Though, she could not remember falling asleep._

 _Why was this familiar?_

 _At the moment, it seemed like she was in an antique movie theater. The gentle clicking, and whirring of the projection machine filled the room._

 _Had she been here before?_

 _She could not make out what the film was, save that the images were too terrible to behold._

 _Aside from her, there were a few other, shadowy figures in the seats. They seemed not to notice her, or, indeed, anything at all. They were little more than statues._

 _Then, the one closest to the screen turned._

 _It was a red-headed boy, with pale skin, and amber eyes._

 _His neck was bare._

 _She knew him._

 _He opened his mouth to say something to her._

 _"You need to try again. Please. Don't let it win. You need to try again…."_

* * *

 _Now_

When she finally woke up, everything hurt. It hurt to move, it hurt to groan, it hurt to think.

It even hurt to hurt.

After a bit, though, the pain subsided, and Rin Tohsaka slowly, _slowly_ opened her eyes.

As she did, the memories of what had happened came rushing back.

 _That thing… Shirou's murder…. "You will all be freed."_

 _Her hands, strangling someone until death…._

 _Her hand… turning to ash…_

With a choked scream of terror, she shot up.

Around her was endless mountains of gold, weapons, and other things. They all shinnied with a great and terrible inner radiance. Above her was a sky that seemed forged from gems and precious metals. There seemed no end to its contents.

Where in the hell was she?

And… why did the Gate of Babylon feel familiar?

Wait… how did she know what it was called?

Also, as she looked at her hands, why did she have a memory of strangling someone?

"I see that you are finally awake. I thank God for such a small mercy."

She knew that voice, as it cut through her confused mind. Oddly enough, she had felt her head begin to turn almost a second before he had spoken. Almost as if she knew that Kirei would be there.

He was standing upon a large pile of coins, and he still had that damn smile on his face.

"You and your sister were very, very fortunate, Rin. If not for the mercy and quick thinking of my good friend, then you, Sakura, and your servants would probably be dead, or worse, along with the rest of us."

"What the hell is going on, Kirei?"

The voice of another answered her. "You are within My treasury, ward of Kirei. Be grateful and count your blessings, mongrel, for being allowed the chance to view the interior of the Gate of Babylon in all its splendor. Such a thing is a privilege that I have let almost none view."

Walking towards them was a handsome and terrible man. He was adorned in beautiful and mighty armor, and across the upper left side of his face was a large burn scar, though, somehow, he seemed in no way disfigured by it. Upon his face as a smile that seemed at once earnest, and mocking. The smile then dissipated as he turned towards the fake priest. "The rest of us are all assembled, Kirei. The situation outside is… fell to say the least."

"Indeed," Kirei said with a slight bow of his head. He then turned back to Rin. "You best get up and follow me, as a most deadly hour is creeping up onto the world, it seems."

"Who is he?"

"He is…"

"Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, and the Archer-class servant of the Fourth Holy Grail War, summoned by my father." It felt like the words had simply flown out of her mouth.

That got her a raise of his eyebrow. "As a matter of fact… yes. How did you know that, Rin?"

"Uh… um… never mind! More importantly, how the hell is a Servant from the Fourth War even here!?"

He studied her for a moment, his face unusually impassive. He then sighed. "When this is all over, I will explain, if you wish, but for now, there are much more pressing matters to attend to."

With that, he turned and strode away.

How had she known who the Golden Man was?

What was happening?

* * *

It was an image of pure hell. Fuyuki City was full of shadows and terrible gold light. They could all hear the screams as its citizens and writhed.

On the roof of the Semina-Okgawa Apartment Complex stood the Nameless thing. His Saver Servant was nowhere to be seen. In front of him was a large floating orb that seemed to be oozing liquid shadows. Countless rays of golden lights enveloped the orb.

Assembled around the giant projection was Lady Blue, the weird girl who always dressed up in that penguin suit, Flat, the psycho Einzbern (who had a strangely downcast expression on her face) and her large wolf, an unkempt-looking man with one eye, Sakura, and then all the Servants.

They all watched the projection with various expressions on their faces; horror, shock, and, in the case of Lady Blue, interest. "It's like a Reality Marble. How very interesting."

For some reason, upon Kirei's face was a small smile.

Suddenly, the thing that had once been Shirou turned and seemed to be looking at them all. Then, it spoke. "I know that you are watching me, no doubt from within the relative safety of the Gate of Babylon. I can see you, despite what you may think otherwise.

"You are all no doubt wondering how to stop me. You can all do your best but understand that you will not succeed in stopping me. So, save yourself the effort, and enjoy the remainder of your various existences. Soon, it will all end, and I will free us all.

"Though, if you wish to make an effort, The Ascended one currently resides in Ryuudou temple. You can fight him, if you wish. His Noble Phantasm is an integral part of my plans, after all.

"Not sure why I just said that, though. I do not enjoy repeating myself."

The thing then made a gesture, and the projection suddenly shorted out.

For a good moment, no one said anything. Rin did not know what to even think. She felt her hands reach up and cradle her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Archer, looking where the image had been. His face was unreadable.

 _That laugh… "I was never once allowed to just be myself, to forge my own path!"_

He then seemed to notice her stare. "Master?"

There was too much going on, and, in the next moment, Rin found herself fleeing, with her confused servant lightly running after her.

* * *

After a bit, Rin stopped. This time, she did not stiffen at the sound of Archer's approaching footsteps.

"I just needed a moment to clear my head. There's a lot going on."

"No, that's not it at all. Why have you been acting so wary around me lately, Master?"

After a moment, Rin decided to take the proverbial plunge, and turned to look at him. "Why did you laugh?"

That must not have been what Arjuna had expected her to say. "What?"

"Why did you laugh, when you killed your own brother? Why did you do all those terrible things during the War with the Kaurava's? How can I even trust you, when you did all those terrible things!?"

The look of shock on Archer's face reminded Rin a bit of a deer caught in the headlights, though there was only a brief widening of his eyes. "Those weren't me, it was Black, and Krishna…."

"There was no Black, Arjuna! I saw your memories through the link. It was all you! Not Krishna! Why did you hate your own brother so much? How could you, a hero, have done all those terrible things!? How could you have laughed when you killed him!?"

Arjuna, the Son of Indra, was silent for a long moment, while the expression on his face slowly became cold to the point of anger. "You want to know why, _Master_? Why I did all those things? Why I laughed, when I killed a good man?"

He then turned away from her and crossed his arms, as she now remembered him doing, somehow. "Since the moment that I was born, everyone always heaped me with praise, and lauded how _perfect_ I was. Every moment, I received so much praise, so many fabulous gifts, that I often think it was a wonder that I did not just simply collapse from all the weight on my shoulders. Why? I never asked for it, for any of their gods-damned praises and gifts! I never asked to be labeled a hero! I was never once allowed to just be myself, to forge my own path!"

Rin remained quiet as her servant then began to rant, with every word striking up a tone in her memory, as if she had heard it yesterday. "Why was I chosen to be adored!? Why me!? And then, why, when I had finally thought that I did deserve those damned praises and gifts, did there have to be one who actually deserved it, who was truly perfect, who was everything that people only thought I was? Him, the unwanted son, and the adopted bastard child of a charioteer?!

"So, yes, when the thrice-damned Duryodhana became determined to over throw me and my brothers, the war with the him and the rest of thrice-damned Kauravas came, I saw that _he_ was to be my enemy in that war, and I became so very glad. I could kill him and prove myself to be better. Since that archery tournament, when he humiliated me, I had _hungered_ for his demise.

"Even then, a part of me, one that I tried to never acknowledge… that part of me knew that I could only ever win against _him_ through tricky and deceit, as to face him in true combat would have certainly meant my death, loathe as I am to admit it. In fact, I only really achieved victory because the gods, for some inexplicable reason, favored _me_ , and not him, he who had the bearing and personality of a true and faultless hero! He even had the honor of being allowed to use my father's spear! Why him!?"

"So, yes, I laughed when he died, because at that moment, I had finally beaten him. Of course, later, I realized how hollow it all was, when I died before reaching heaven. Though, I think a part of me knew that, even then. Even then, until the day that I died, I still wondered….

"Why were you adored, why were you so favored and beloved and praised, when you were so _fucking_ imperfect, while he, the _perfect_ , selfless, and _heroic_ one, was cursed and hated so many times?"

He paused in his rant and cocked his head at Rin in confusion.

Rin continued. "Why was it, that he did never once curse his cruel and undeserved fate, when you cursed yours nearly every other day of your existence?"

"Yes… what the hell would you know about it, _Master_?"

"I can tell you that I get what it's like, to have to act like something you're not for most of your life. To have so, so many expectations piled on you, that you're forced to live up to some _stupid_ standard, when all you really want is to just be yourself.

"I could tell you about my father, how he loved me and my sister, but he was, first and foremost, a magus. Magi are paranoid, cruel, and, among other things, hate seeing potential go to waste. There were two of us, and my sister and I each had great potential. But, _supposedly_ , he could only train one of us, and to him, letting the other's potential go to waste would have been a great tragedy.

"So, one fine day, he took me aside and told me that Sakura was no long my sister, and that she was going to live with another family, so that she could reach her 'full potential.' He then told me that I was to no longer consider her my sister. To drive in the knife further, he told me that it had been her choice.

"So, every day, when I saw her, I had to force myself not to care, to not acknowledge her, and to act like a _proper_ magus, even though, during all that time, she was in hell, suffering, and being defiled over, and over and over again, all for the sake of being a _proper_ magus, and reaching her _full potential_."

She now was convinced that she had said most of this before, and for some reason, that only served to make Rin angrier.

"A magus must not care about others. They must never trust anyone, they can never love, they must always be proud, and they must only exist for the sake of passing on their crest, and to reach the Root, Akasha."

Rin then chuckled. "So, trust me, I've heard it all before. I've heard all _this_ before. Such words have echoed in my mind more than enough times. In the end, it's all pointless. I don't hate being a magus, but I will not let it define me. I won't become like my father, or a _proper_ magus. I will just let me be myself."

She, an imperfect magus, then looked him, an imperfect hero, right in the eye.

"So, you know what? It's okay to be imperfect. It's okay to be spiteful, and mean-tempered, and angry. As long as you don't let it define you. There is nothing wrong with being imperfect. I'm not perfect, and I understand that it's okay."

"The girl is correct, Awarded Hero."

They both turned to see that it was the Golden man with one good eye, Gilgamesh. "As my good friend Kirei learned ten years ago, denying one's true self can only ever lead to self-ruin. Let your true self bleed forth from this shoddy shell of perfection that you have woven about yourself, Son of Indra, and you will feel more at ease. You will be all the greater for it."

Arjuna looked at the both of them, his fists shaking at his side. Then, he sighed, and turned to Rin. "Only call on me when it is time to fight, _Master_. Otherwise…"

Instead of finishing, he vanished into Astral form.

The Golden Man smirked, and then studied her. "I must admit, you are rather insightful, Tohsaka. Very interesting. So, come then, daughter of my former retainer. We must make plans."

* * *

"So, what is the plan?" asked Flat.

Before Kirei could say anything, suddenly Shiki Ryougi, Touko Aozaki, and Flat stiffened, fell to the floor, and threw up all over the gleaming floor.

Their servants rushed to their sides. "What's wrong, Master?"

"I saw it… our deaths…. Everything just… erased…"

"We need to try something different."

* * *

They still split into three groups, only, this time, Shiki had decided to take Lancer with her. Kirei, Berserker, Aozaki, and Einzbern's first Berserker would still try to attack the Saver Servant. The rest would escort Shiki and Lancer.

Once again, they were at the barrier, and were once again greeted by the apparition. It looked over them all with more frank disinterest.

"I would tell you all my reasons for doing all of this… but I can tell that some of you remember. That… that is very interesting. It seems the memory for that timeline has been transcribed into this one."

It then shook its head. "But it is of no matter or concern to me, for such knowledge will do you little good. Still, come at me if you wish. Your fates will still be the same."

With a gesture, a large opening was created in the barrier.

* * *

Shiki dashed forward, Lancer hard on her heels. "So, once we get there, Master, what is the plan?"

 _…the nameless Beast's hand and arm impaled itself through her chin and exited out the upper back portion of her skull in a shower of gore…_

Shiki shook her head. "Don't die."

Unlike before, in that strange memory, there was a token resistance barring their way; things and creatures made of shadows, flames, and hatreds, and the comatose people that lay in the street.

Shiki cut through them all without mercy.

Even though they were both running at great speed, and cutting through the creatures, Lancer somehow still shrugged. "Eh, I've done more with less."

Eventually, they made their way once again to the Semina-Okgawa Apartment Complex. There was no more things or people barring their way, and they took the elevator.

The thing was waiting for them on the roof, staring into what could only be the Corrupted Grail. Once again, its back was to them, to her.

Despite not looking in there direction, the thing tilted its head. "So, I see that, in this timeline, you have decided not to confront me alone, Shiki. Such strategy is rather… uncharacteristic of you, Foolhardy Girl who can cut anything."

It then turned to face her and Lancer. "Nonetheless, I applaud you for that. Everyone should be allowed the capacity to grow and learn from their mistakes. Well done."

It's eyes then began to glow, and the falchions filled its hands. "It is just a shame that you will have to die here, again, as well as the fact that you only brought a single _thing_ as back up."

They moved, and the world ended and began again under their blades and clashes.

* * *

Things had quickly gone from bad to worse.

In the distance, there were great explosions of gold and lighting as Gilgamesh, Arjuna, the Second Berserker, and the Second Rider clashed with the towering monstrosity.

The first Rider was then battered aside by his opponent, a Knight with yellow eyes and black armor.

At the moment, Rin was still reeling from the blow that her opponent had landed on her.

The madwoman's hands were then tight on Rin's neck. "You know what color the walls are, you little shit! Tell me! What color are they!?"

Suddenly, she stopped, and… spat up a mouthful of blood, all over Rin's face. Then, her grip loosened, and the attacker collapsed to the side, an Azoth blade sticking out of her back. Skaura had stabbed her, and saved Rin.

Sakura gave her a tired grin and reached out to help her sister up.

Time seemed to move so slow in that instant.

One minute, Sakura was in front of her, reach out a hand to Rin.

In the next moment, a geyser of blood was where her head had been, courtesy of the Black Knight, and her dark sword.

The blood of her sister drenched Rin from head to toe.

Rider watched his master die, then _screamed_ in rage and agony and flames, and he seemed to change as he tackled the corrupted Saber.

Meanwhile, Caster and Saber fought the traitorous Assassin and the corrupted Lancer.

The silent girl had already been devoured by the tower monster, while the Einzbern, Waver Velvet, Flat, and the golden wolf-thing brawled with twisted things of shadow, fire, and _evil_ , as well as copies of some of the bodies she had seen in the Apartment's basement.

They were losing. They all were losing.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

The battle had quickly reached beyond the levels of humanity.

Entire buildings had already been destroyed, and the three danced among the still falling debris. The first casualty had been the apartment complex.

Despite being outnumbered, the Beast managed to remain on its feet, slashing, parrying, cutting, and blocking all the attacks directed at it, seemingly with ease.

Mana then gathered about Lancer's feet, and he burst forward, nearly to the speed of light, his flaming spear at the ready to impale.

Almost without looking, the Beast jumped up, kicked Shiki away with a blow to her skull, and then turned and grabbed the flaming spear with its bare hand, seemingly ignorant of how its hand was being immolated, and arresting Lancer's momentum almost immediately. It then stabbed Lancer through the side with a newly formed falchion, before quickly ripping it out to parry Shiki's next flurry of blows.

After roaring in pain, Lancer then reared his head forward, and _bit_ down on the Beast's neck, and ripped out, making the Nameless beast relinquish its iron hold on his spear.

Shiki and Lancer then leapt back, a moment before the Beast body erupted into a flurry of sharp blades, bullets, spears, and arrows, before quickly reforming into a humanoid shape of destruction.

" **Bend!"**

Suddenly, the very ground itself twisted and shattered, knocking the Beast's two adversaries into the air, and it followed them up.

But they were not caught off guard.

Shiki and Lancer twisted in the air, so that they were facing downwards towards the ascending Beast.

 _Now._

Celtchar gripped his spear in a throwing position, and Shiki clutched the Kuji Kanesada in both hands.

The spear burned brighter than the flames of the sun in that moment, and the edge of the katana glowed with the unearthly blue of the netherworld, as did Shiki's eyes.

The Beast then realized that it had been led into a trap.

 ** _"AREADHBAR!"_**

 ** _"Amalavijñāna: Descending Boundary of Azrael!"_**

The two attacks descended on upon the Beast like a newborn star that fell from the heavens.

The Beast did not even scream….

* * *

Kirei could not move, nor could he feel anything from the waist down, or really much of anything. Perhaps that was for the best.

Sans Flat and his Servant, Kirei, Touko Aozaki, and the giant Berserker had arrived at the Mountain.

As before, the two Red killers and the Holy Saver had been waiting.

This time, Kirei had brought with him a particular weapon, similar to the one at the waist of one of the enemy servants.

There had been a flurry and rain of blades, bullets, blasts, and puppets, all of which lay scattered about the cavern.

Kirei had even managed to kill one of the red servants himself, and with the weapons he had taken.

The Berserker was slowly fading away, and Touko Aozaki leaned heavily against the wall, several swords sticking out of her chest and back. Somehow, she was still alive.

As ever, Saver sat, serene and holy, through the battle.

It was getting very hard to breathe, or even just keep his eyes open.

Saver opened his green eyes, and then… the cry of the damned filled the air…

* * *

When they finally reached the ground, with Lancer arresting Shiki's fall, they landed in the center of the massive crater that had been formed from their two attacks.

There was no sign of the Beast, or, really, of anything.

Though at this point, it was a wonder that either of them could still stand, and both were covered in blood.

Lancer looked towards his second Master. "Think that killed the thing?"

"I don't know. I just don't know."

She then looked up. "Come on. We need to get back to the others. We still have to kill Saver…."

Suddenly, Lancer began to scream, and he collapsed to the ground, and began to convulse in agony.

All Shiki could d was watch in horror. What was going on?

When he finally stopped twitching and screaming, he looked back at her, and rose.

But something was wrong. His skin and hair began to become as white as bone and crack like brittle glass; veins began to spread across Lancer's entire body, including his armor, and his eyes... his eyes became like those of the Beast's.

When it spoke through his body, his jaw seemed to move incorrectly, as if Lancer was little more than a hand puppet.

What Shiki now saw before her was something just... _wrong._

It inclined its stolen head towards her with what seemed to be genuine respect. "Like before, Lady Shiki, this was a good effort, and an excellent fight. You have killed one of my forms, thus forcing me to rebirth myself, through your Servant. Well done."

"Unfortunate, though, as this means my back up plan must be enacted. Before this battle began, as in the other timelines, I inserted a fragment of myself into the grail, just as the Monk had inserted fragments of it into the boy once known as Shirou. It is now me, and I am now it.

"Simply put, through the Grail, I shall assimilate this world, and it's mysteries. I will become it, and then sail through the cosmos, ending suffering wherever it exists. Unless you destroy this city, and the grail. Or… you can try and save its people.

"Understand that I did not want to enact this monstrous plan, but you gave me no choice when you destroyed my previous form. You can bury me, immolate, melt me, strike me down, and I will not _die_. As long as I can remember, then, one way, or another, _we **will**_ **achieve our** **goals. If you will not accept the end, then I will make sure you all can never experience the release of death, as you will all live on in me.** "

She was already sent flying away. She had not seen it move.

As she rolled backwards upon the ground, he sword still tight in her hand, a thousand upon a thousand blades then filled the sky, all ready to descend upon Shiki.

Despite her wounds, Shiki still tumbled to her feet, and moved, propelled by the thing insider her, as the blades descended down upon her, each looking like it was sharp enough to cut a planet.

Her sword glowed blue again, as she slashed through the torrent of sharp things. She never once lost her momentum and kept driving forward.

Through it all, the creature just stood there.

With a cry, Shiki sent a massive slash barreling towards the Beast, which bisected it from head to groin.

Despite the fact that it had been cut into two, the thing had not been Shiki's actual target.

As it reformed, behind it erupted a large tear in reality, the true goal of her earlier cut.

As an errant fragment of a blade slashed across her eye, Shiki leveled her blade. As the Beast reformed, it was just in time to be impaled upon the katana blade. As blood erupted, Shiki _pushed._

She pushed it, into the cut between reality.

It did not even struggle as it fell through, but it did speak.

 ** _"By the Power of my Command Seal… I order you, Angra Mainyu, to assimilate the entire World unto yourself, and unto me!"_**

No.

She should have aimed for its head.

* * *

Atop the roof of the ruined Semina-Okgawa Apartment Complex, the large, floating orb suddenly began to shake and convulse, while an unholy scream of triumph echoed through the air. Then, the sound of chanting.

The starting penalty is five. Life penalty, body penalty, freedom penalty, fame penalty, fortune penalty. Give the penalty that extends so much punishment, mud, darkness, and malice. "Elimination of human rights by castration, exile, execution" "Torture and sadism upon the body through digestion" "Denial by consensus of the colony that eliminates all honor"

die

"Scorn from the judgment and selfishness that takes away men's fortunes." death penalty penal servitude imprisonment custody fine penalty, crime from a grudge, crime from self-interest, unconscious crime, self-conscious crime, civil war, inducement, false statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, bombing, violation, negligent homicide, mass violence, death at work, overconfident accident,

die

misdiagnosis, concealment, violation for benefit, violation for self-protection, violation for love, violation for respect, selfish █████. Stealing fraudulent fraud concealment murder theft crime crime personal grudge attack attack attack attack dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone for everything "This world is ruled by something not human" Know the conscience to reform crimes.

die

die

die

Know the penalty to reform crimes. People's kindness is here. There is so much it cannot be noticed. Know the violence to hide crimes. Know the power to hide crimes. People's malignance is here. It is so rare that it is noticed. A hundred kindnesses and one malignance. Malignance shines bright to keep the balance and exists as a great "evil" to compete with the masses of kindness. The starting penalty is five

die

die

die

die

die

die

█ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self inducement, false statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, infringement, dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone atone atone with death!

* * *

Aside from Saber all the servants were dead. As were the wolves, Einzbern, the silent girl, and….

Sakura.

Her sister was dead.

What was the point?

Suddenly, an unearthly shriek filled the air. It came from the now-destroyed Semina-Okgawa complex. Around them, the comatose citizens suddenly convulsed and screamed, as blue light emanated from their eyes and lips. It all flowed to the glowing black orb that now floated high above the apartment complex, while the giant golden ring in the sky slowly began to rotate.

Then, from within the orb echoed an unearthly shriek, and… it grew and expanded, into a wave… a wave of pure hatred, darkness, and _evil_.

Over the scream, they all heard a voice that was, for lack of a better term, simply _wrong._

The starting penalty is five. Life penalty, body penalty, freedom penalty, fame penalty, fortune penalty. Give the penalty that extends so much punishment, mud, darkness, and malice. "Elimination of human rights by castration, exile, execution" "Torture and sadism upon the body through digestion" "Denial by consensus of the colony that eliminates all honor"

die

"Scorn from the judgment and selfishness that takes away men's fortunes." death penalty penal servitude imprisonment custody fine penalty, crime from a grudge, crime from self-interest, unconscious crime, self-conscious crime, civil war, inducement, false statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, bombing, violation, negligent homicide, mass violence, death at work, overconfident accident,

die

misdiagnosis, concealment, violation for benefit, violation for self-protection, violation for love, violation for respect, selfish █████. Stealing fraudulent fraud concealment murder theft crime crime personal grudge attack attack attack attack dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone for everything "This world is ruled by something not human" Know the conscience to reform crimes.

die

die

die

Know the penalty to reform crimes. People's kindness is here. There is so much it cannot be noticed. Know the violence to hide crimes. Know the power to hide crimes. People's malignance is here. It is so rare that it is noticed. A hundred kindnesses and one malignance. Malignance shines bright to keep the balance and exists as a great "evil" to compete with the masses of kindness. The starting penalty is five

die

die

die

die

die

die

█ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self inducement, false statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, infringement, dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone atone atone with death!

The survivors watched in shock as the black wave of black mud and red veins began to rise, higher and higher.

They were doomed. They were all doomed, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Flat nodded, as if he were listening to something, and then, a tear dripped down his left cheek. Before anyone one could say anything, he lifted up his hand, and his seals glowed.

"Saber… _By the power of all my command Seals…_ **I order you to destroy the city of Fuyuki and the Holy Grail!** "

She was enveloped by a red glow, and then, she flashed and vanished.

* * *

Appearing high in the night sky, Saber could see the devastation and unholy tide of darkness begin to spread. She could even see how it was connected.

She pointed the blade downwards, and the pommel upwards.

She then began to chant.

 _I will not destroy life. I will destroy civilization._

 _Descend from the heavens once more and destroy all that is built in your path!_

 ** _TEARDROP PHOTON RAY: DESTRUCTIVE SWORD OF THE WAR GOD!_**

From the heavens came what could only be described as the radiant wrath of a deity, and it engulfed the entire city.

A moment before it landed, there was a flash of gold…

* * *

As the thing once known as Souren Araya, and Shirou Emiya, and many others, watched the shadowy reflection of the multi-colored ray descend upon the land, the gateway to the World slowly began to close.

It looked to its left, in its stolen form, and saw a familiar sight. "I was wondering when you would show up, girl of moonlight. Are you real?"

She looked at him, humor dancing in her blood-red eyes "So, did you find it, sorrowful monk? Did you discover a way to end all suffering?" the moonlit girl asked.

The Beast considered, and then turned towards the girl who may not have been really there.

"I did, at least in a few timelines. In three, I even did nothing."

It sighed and turned its head back to the closing gab in reality. It could have made an effort to get up and fly back through it.

It remained where it lay upon the ground, the sword still through its chest.

"For as long as I could remember, I had always believed that there was no hope, that there was no point to the idea of tomorrow…. I believed that a reality without heroes was one that did not deserve to exist."

His eyes then flashed, as various timelines flittered across his line of sight.

"Yes, I have… I only hope that they recognize it as well, those misguided heroes."

"Either way… I remember, and I still win."

Then, when the gate closed, there was nothing.

It was… beautiful.

* * *

When the flash of gold faded, Rin, Flat, and Waver were all that were left.

They looked about upon the burnt ruins of Fuyuki city.

There was no one else, just endless devastations for miles all around.

Flat looked towards Rin and saw that she had fallen to her knees in shock.

'it' had told him that there had been no other choice. The Beast would have consumed the entire world! There had been no other option!

Still, he found himself speaking. "What… what now?"

Rin was the first to answer, as tears dripped down from her unblinking eyes. "I… I don't know. I just don't know."

Master Velvet, from where he sat upon the ground, then cradled his head in his hands, and then… began to laugh, with a twisted and unhinged tone.

"What the fuck is so funny, Mr. Velvet?" Rin asked, looking at him as if he had gone insane (thought to be fair, she was feeling very close to that precipice herself.)

He kept laughing for another minute, and then turned and looked at her and Flat, a slightly glazed look in his now tear-filled eyes, as if this was all too familiar to him. "Isn't it obvious, Tohsaka? Look around."

Waver Velvet swept his arms all around at the destruction about them. "We've won. We just saved the fucking world, and this is what victory looks like…"

 **A/N: Thus ends the "Normal" Route. There will still be a "True" ending next. Then… I was thinking about writing the prequel, and then… maybe two more routes.**

 **Sorry for how long this chapter took. Real life and all that. I hope none of you are too angry with me.**

 **Anyway, read, review, and enjoy.**


	13. Chapter 13

Fate/ Distortion Chapter 11

 **A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews and love for this story. I am glad you are all enjoying it.**

 **In this story, the way SORROW works is that he is slightly untethered from reality and time.**

 **Essentially, think of the Nameless Beast as a slightly less powerful Doctor Manhattan.**

* * *

"So, what is the plan?" asked Flat.

Before Kirei could say anything, suddenly Shiki Ryougi, Touko Aozaki, and Flat stiffened, fell to the floor, and threw up all over the gleaming floor.

Their servants rushed to their sides. "What's wrong, Master?"

"I saw it… our deaths…. Everything just… erased…"

Shiki Ryougi then looked at everyone. "We need to try something different."

"Like what?" Rin asked.

"… I don't know."

Archer then spoke up. "I shall lead the assault on Saver."

Rin looked at him as if he were insane? "Why!?"

"I have my reasons, Master."

She would have argued with him but decided not to press it. Besides, she had more pressing concerns.

Shiki then spoke up. "I might have a plan. It's unpredictable, and beyond insane, but from what I can remember of the other timelines…. It might be our only chance…."

Xxxxxxx

This time, there was no projection waiting for them at the barrier. Indeed, this time, there was no barrier, almost as if the thing was inviting them in.

They once again split into three groups, and Lancer and Shiki sped off with Rin, Sakura, Saber, Rider, and Flat.

With Saber and Rider staying behind, the rest soon ascended the stairs.

Once Rin, Flat, Shiki and Lancer reached the top of the stairs, they found that the Beast was waiting for them. Its back was to them, like before. "Once again, you have come to confront me, Shiki. And, once again, you are not alone. I see you have brought Rin Tohsaka, Sakura, and Flat Escardos with you. Hello, Rin. Why are you here?"

Despite the overwhelming power that the thing exuded, Rin managed to remain standing. "To-to stop you, monster."

It turned to look at them. "And how exactly do you intend to do that? You don't have your Servant with you, and, despite your many talents, you are so clearly out of your league."

Wow. There was no need for it to be insulting.

Before anymore could be said, Shiki slashed, and a strange fisure opend itself up over the beast's head.

Without any hesitation, Flat, Ron, and Sakura leapt into the fissure before it closed up…

Xxxxxxxxx

The moment that the three vanished, the Nameless Beast's eyes rolled back forward, even as it was already stopping a stab from Lancer with his bare hand, and a slash by Shiki. Those eyes then focused directly on Shiki

"This gambit of yours is going to fail, Shiki. It was a complete waste of your time and efforts. So, in recompense, you will die. I promise to make it quick."

Xxxxxxxx

Like before, the group that went to confront the Buddha Servant consisted of Kirei, the First Berserker, and Touko. Only, this time, they were accompanied by Archer.

As before, they descended into the cavern.

As before, they were confronted by the two Red Servants.

As before, Kirei smiled at the sight of the Assassin in the red robes as the Servant raised his left arm and sped forward, while the other pulled back on his bowstring…

Xxxxxxxxx

When the light faded, Rin, Sakura, and Flat found themselves within an enclosed movie theater. Despite looking about for any exit, there was none.

They then looked about and saw three solitary seats in the center of the theater. They were the only seats.

The three Masters then took a reluctant seat in front of the screen. As they did, the projection machine suddenly began to whirr to life.

3…

 _Beep_

 _2.._

 _Beep_

 _1._

 _Xxxxxxxxxx_

 _Meanwhile_

The battle had quickly reached beyond the levels of humanity, just like before.

Entire buildings had already been destroyed, and the three danced among the still falling debris. The first casualty had been the apartment complex.

Despite being outnumbered, the Beast managed to remain on its feet, slashing, parrying, cutting, and blocking all the attacks directed at it, seemingly with ease.

Mana then gathered about Lancer's feet, and he burst forward, nearly to the speed of light, his flaming spear at the ready to impale.

Almost without looking, the Beast jumped up, kicked Shiki away with a blow to her skull, and then turned and grabbed the flaming spear with its bare hand, seemingly ignorant of how its hand was being immolated, and arresting Lancer's momentum almost immediately. It then stabbed Lancer through the side with a newly formed falchion, before quickly ripping it out to parry Shiki's next flurry of blows.

After roaring in pain, Lancer then reared his head forward, and _bit_ down on the Beast's neck, and ripped out, making the Nameless beast relinquish its iron hold on his spear.

Shiki and Lancer then leapt back, a moment before the Beast body erupted into a flurry of sharp blades, bullets, spears, and arrows, before quickly reforming into a humanoid shape of destruction.

" **Bend!"**

Suddenly, the very ground itself twisted and shattered, knocking the Beast's two adversaries into the air, and it followed them up.

But they were not caught off guard.

Shiki and Lancer twisted in the air, so that they were facing downwards towards the ascending Beast.

 _Now._

Celtchar gripped his spear in a throwing position, and Shiki clutched the Kuji Kanesada in both hands.

The spear burned brighter than the flames of the sun in that moment, and the edge of the katana glowed with the unearthly blue of the netherworld, as did Shiki's eyes.

The Beast then realized that it had been led into a trap.

 ** _"AREADHBAR!"_**

 ** _"Amalavijñāna: Descending Boundary of Azrael!"_**

The two attacks blasted down upon the Beast like a newborn star that fell from the heavens.

* * *

 _Mindscape_

 _I remember the day that I was truly born._

Flat found himself standing on a desolate battlefield. In front of him was a Buddhist monk of average stature.

 _On this nameless field, I learned what true hopelessness was, and what suffering was, in all its forms._

Flat watched as tears began to drip down the monk's shaved and impassive face.

 _I knew true despair that day and lost all hope in humanity._

A monster with moonlight for skin, and her mountainous creature then appeared in front of monk, who was made to drink a combination of their blood.

 _It was on that battlefield that the monk known as Souren Araya died, and SORROW was born._

* * *

When the dust settled, to their partial shock, Shiki and Lancer saw that the Beast had survived.

It looked at Shiki, and actually smirked. "You missed, Shiki."

Then, a thousand upon a thousand blades and bullets and other weapons filled the sky…

* * *

 _Mindscape_

 _My first true memory was seeing the tired smile of a man who had regained hope in the face of despair._

Rin found herself standing in the midst of what could only be described as hell.

Fires raged all about in the ruins of a city. A moment later, she recognized where she was.

This was Fuyuki City, on the night of the Great Fuyuki Fire.

She watched as a man with one arm dug relentlessly through the rubble. The look on his face was one of pure despair. From his other arm dangled a stump of what must have once been an iron prosthetic.

Then, he found someone, a little boy with red hair.

The child seemed comatose, and barely responsive.

For a moment, the one-armed man seemed as if he had lost all will to live.

Then, the boy opened his eyes, and looked up upon the one-armed man with dissonant confusion.

The man's face changed to one of hope, and he smiled through his tears. "You're alive. It's a miracle. He's alive. You're alive."

 _I remember looking at that smile, and I felt… confused. Why was he smiling like that?_

 _I think that, in that moment, I not only felt jealous, but… I also wanted others to be able to smile like that._

* * *

Gilgamesh gritted his teeth, as he and Rider squared off against the towering monster.

They were losing. It had already slain the Second Berserker, and Caster had his hands full with the Assassin.

With a sigh, Gilgamesh reached into the Gate of Babylon…

* * *

Sakura watched, as the years passed.

 _Through the centuries, I wandered, untethered by time or flesh, save for when I required a host. Through every moment of it, I made sure that events unfolded in such a way that the future could only happen as I had been shown._

Flat observed the monster, now in the flesh of a man with orange hair, as it battled a man in medieval Russian clothing and blue-purple hair.

The magus would survive, albeit with a now crippling fear of mortality, and a desire to never experience that feeling again.

* * *

The stolen Sword of a War God clashed against the blackened blade of Promised Victory.

Rider roared as fire erupted from his mouth against the armor of the twisted Lancer.

* * *

 _As that year slowly passed, the man who saved me once went away for a few weeks. When he came back, he wept for an entire day._

 _After that, he rarely left the house._

 _He was kind, and, though I never called him father, we still became something approaching a family._

Flat, Rin, and Sakura watched as the young boy with Red hair cooked the one-armed man meals and helped him when he needed.

 _In an odd way, we were happy._

 _A year after he found me, he died next to me, with a smile on his face._

 _That was when_ it _found me._

* * *

Once again, Shiki and Lancer wen flying through the air, and each were covered in a multitude of wounds.

Still, they could not even take a moment to experience the pain, so busy were they with deflecting everything that was being launched at them.

* * *

 _That was when I found the boy._

* * *

Gilgamesh raised Ea high.

 **ENUMA ELISH!**

Truth was then unleashed in a wave of destruction…

* * *

 _As the years passed, I unlocked the boy's true Origin of_ Assimilation, Reflection, and Enhancement.

 _Then, I began to implement the rest of my plans, and gathered the rest of my required materials…._

* * *

Flat, Rin, and Sakura watched as the thing called SORROW hunted down those around the globe with the powers he needed. Each and every last one, the creature fed them to the captive Shirou.

Though it all, Shirou never stopped screamed.

They watched as the Ancestor slaughtered and fed to him two entire families in the town of Misaki, with the last being a young boy with death in his eyes…

* * *

 _After ten years, my new body was finally ready…._

* * *

Gilgamesh was dead, as were the Assassin, second berserker, Assassin, and Caster, and the monster was still standing.

Rider then realized that he still needed to implement his part of the plan, and there was no other choice.

Ah well, it had been fun.

With a sigh, he then threw his father's hammer at the Berserker of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

It did not even dodge, and the blow made it stumble back a few feet.

That was all Rider needed.

Without hesitation, he jabbed his hand into his chest, and ripped out a core. Then, he crushed it.

As he did, a storm to end all storms began to rage overhead…

 **MJOLNIR RAGNAROK!**

Then, all his thoughts were naught but pure madness and rage…

NEVER RETREAT! NEVER BACK DOWN! NEVER RETREATNEVERBACKDOWNNEVERRETREATNEVERBACKDOWN!

* * *

As the blackened Saber and Lancer dissipated into dust, Rider was the only one left.

He saw, in the distance, that the now berserk Rider was losing against the twisted Berserker.

It seemed he had no choice, then.

With a sigh, he cast aside his shield and weapons, and then stood tall against the buffeting winds.

 ** _Zmeye Bogartyr!_**

In the next moment, two titans, one of flesh and scales and flames, and the other of clay, bone, horns, gold, and endless wrath, tackled each other to the ground…..

* * *

Everything flashed, and the three found themselves in what looked like the apartment complex.

"What now?"

 **YOU THREE WERE FOOLS TO COME HERE**

Behind them, they heard what sounded like the chittering of a thousand upon a thousand footsteps.

The three raced up the stairs.

Attached to the wall was a shirtless boy, with veins spread all about his flesh. He was not even breathing.

As Flat kept the door closed against the horde outside, somehow, Rin and Sakura slowly approached the boy.

"Shirou?"

Then, he opened his eyes, and they were clouded over, so much that the amber barely showed through.

"Hello," he said to them. "Why are you here? Has it taken you as well?"

"No! We came here to rescue you."

"Why?"

"So that we can stop the monster!" Rin exclaimed.

The boy gave a bitter and raspy chuckle. "You think you can beat it? You can't. Besides, there's no point."

"Wh-what?"

CLANG. The horde began to pound at the door that Flat had barred.

"Uh, guys…."

"When it took me, and slowly turned me into a monster…. During the first three eyars, I screamed, for every second, of every day. I had hoped against hope that someone would come and stop SORROW. Stop it from hurting people… from hurting me. I wished that someone would come and save me. Then, one day, it told me that there were no heroes left. At that moment, after years of struggle, when I realized that there would be no heroes coming to save me…. I just gave up. SORROW was right. There are no heroes. Not anymore."

CLANG.

"This World does not deserve to exist without heroes."

CLANG.

"Nobody can be saved. Not anymore."

CLANG!

"Guys! I don't know how much longer this will hold. I am not good with mental constructs!" Flat exclaimed.

"I once wanted to save everyone. But I could not even save myself. No one…. No one can save anyone. There is only suffering."

Rin shook her head adamantly and cradled his head in her hands. "No, stop talking like that! You're wrong!"

The boy looked at her in confusion as she continued. "It was wrong. Sometimes, it isn't about saving everyone. There are people who can't be saved, that's true. But, even if all you can save is just _one_ person, then that is one more person who will live to smile the next day, even if it is just for a moment."

Sakura the nnodded. "Every day, there are people who save others, not by some grand gesture or through powerful magecraft, but by just refusing to let sorrow overtake them. For ten years, I suffered. At any moment, I could have just let it all overtake me… and I very nearly did. But, a small part of me refused to let that happen. Everyday, I made the choice to stand up, and live… because there is always tomorrow!"

Sakura and Rin grabbed the boy's hands. "So please, remember that the sorrow of today always has the chance to become the hope of tomorrow!"

The restrained boy was silent for a long moment, and then… he smiled, and gripped their hands. "The hope of tomorrow? What a lovely concept…."

Flat raced to them as the world began to shake, and the horde of unspeakable things finally broke through the barriers.

Then, there was nothing but a bright and blinding light.

* * *

 _Caverns of Mount Enzou_

The battle was not going in their favor.

The Red Assassin was just as fast in life as Kirei remembered, if not faster.

Outside, a great thunderstorm raged, while Saver's aura kept Arjuna flattened to the ground. Oddly enough, besides that, the Son of Indra was left alone. But, he was not struggling.

They then all watched as the Saver impaled the roaring Berserker through the chest, and killed him with a single strike.

"Why would you, the Enlightened one, possibly want to help destroy everything?" Touko asked, as if she were in casual conversation with an acquaintance.

The Buddha opened his eyes as he replied, in a voice that was, for lack of a better term, perfect. "I do not fight for the creature once known as SORROW, or what it has now become. I answered the call of the boy once known as Shirou. From within the depths of that creature's patchwork psyche, he called out for succor, and so I answered."

"Then why follow his orders?"

"Because, in a way, what the creature wants is noble."

"The end of everything is noble?"

"The ultimate enlightenment, and the desire to end all suffering. What could be a more noble goal? However, if you manage to stop me, then, perhaps humanity has truly been able to forge its own path. Please, do your best to stop me, villains."

Through it all, Arjuna remined pinned to the ground.

"How did you intend to stop me, Son of Indra? How did you plan to be the hero of this story?"

"I didn't."

Those two words, somehow, caught the attention of everyone within the cavern.

Even as he remained where he lay, an aura of power settled about the Awarded Hero. "I am not a good person. In my first life, I was selfish, greedy, envious, and so much more. I killed my own half-brother in a dishonorable manner, and I laughed over his corpse. Even now, as a Heroic Spirit, those thoughts and desires still threaten to devour me…. And I don't care anymore."

To the shock of everyone, even the Saver, Arjuna slowly began to rise.

"It took a scolding from my master for me to finally understand…. I accept it now, that I was never truly a hero, and that I was never perfect. I accept that I was, in the end, little better than a villain, a knave, and a scoundrel.

As he spoke, he covered his face, and held up his open hand, into which a strange, and baleful light began to gather within it.

As it did, he began to chant.

 _Holy Ground Expansion, Space Fixation, Divine Punishment Enforcement Period_

Realizing what he was doing, the Assassin rushed forward, only for Kirei to intercept him with a powerful and reinforced blow to his sternum.

 _Establishement…_

The Red Archer tried to swiftly take aim, only to scream out in pain as his limbs suddenly started to decay, courtesy of Touko, who smirked through the blood that poured down her head.

 _All Clear._

The energy in Arjuna's palm then coalesced into a perfect orb, and he opened his eyes and uncovered his face, before lightly tossing the orb upwards, as one would do a child's ball. As he did, he locked eyes with the Enlightened one.

He did not miss the smile upon the Saver's face.

For once, Arjuna, the Son of Indra felt resolute in his task, his mission, and his place in existence.

It was an extremely odd feeling.

 _By Shiva's wrath, your life ends here._

 ** _Pashupata!_**

* * *

Shiki parried another blow.

There was almost nothing of the city left, and she and Lancer were actually losing.

Overhead, the thunder from Rider's Final Noble Phantasm raged and boomed.

Suddenly, the Nameless Beast stopped in its tracks, as it was about to impale her through the stomach. It then bent over, clutched at its head and… began to actually groan in pain.

Slowly, it began to split open, with cracks running down its body, with a strange light shining through the fissures. AS they opened, the Beast's face and form began to short out, like static, switching from one of its past victims to the next, all the while it howled in a cacophonous and twisted agony.

Then, from one of the fissures emerged a hand. It was the Tohsaka girl, the Flat boy, and… an extremely emaciated teenager with red hair.

It looked upon them with hate in its eyes. "I see that you have succeeded, you three. Well done. But utterly futile."

Around them the city began to shake, while, in the distance, a stream of darkness began to issue forth from the Grail. "You might have severed my connection to Shirou, but I am still more than a match for you, and I still have his powers, as well as those of all thoe others that I fed him over the years. You still lose."

Above Shirou's body appeared a translucent version of himself. It opened its eyes, and then sped towards the Nameless Beast.

Behind him then appeared the girl known as Alice, with her book open in her hands.

What was that witch doing here!?

As it then reached out with its mind towards the Grail and the City, to activate his fail-safe, Shiki moved, and her blade was too quick to be even a flash.

Suddenly, it could no longer feel the city beneath its feet, or the Grail in its patchwork of souls.

No.

"What have you done!?" it exclaimed.

It could have been its imagination, but it seemed like the corner of Shiki's mouth quirked upwards. "I have severed your connection to the City and the Grail, Nameless Beast. You will no longer be able to control either anymore. The first was cut with my Noble Phantasm, and the second was just now. I severed enough so that the rest would separate on its own. You've lost, Nameless Beast, _and the Bells have tolled your name_."

The Nameless Beast felt itself becoming detached, while thunder still raged.

Now, it could not even move, the spirit of the boy was keeping it restrained. But how!?

How was any of this possible!?

As it internally fell apart, the monster's form began to erratically shift from shape to shape.

Against the buffeting winds, Rin Tohsaka held onto the still form of SHirou tightly, and Flat and Sakura held on to her.

Despite its bounds, the nameless Beast still began to move…

Then from within the depths of Alice Kuonji's strange book emerged a massive red arm, which gripped the restrained Nameless Beast tightly.

And yet, despite it still being able to move, the Nameless Beast just could not find it within itself to struggle anymore.

All the power from the pseudo- Age of the Gods then flowed into the spirit of the boy, as it, and the red arm, dragged the Nameless thing back.

In the next moment, it vanished into the book in a great flash of light...

* * *

Upon Rider's claws, the monster finally died, as did the wild Rider.

It was over.

He looked to the east.

It looked like the sun was starting to rise….

* * *

When the light disappeared from his eyes, the Beast found itself… themselves…himself standing… in a forest.

He knew where he was, and he knew it was only a matter of time before things began to fade. He looked down at his hands and body…. This was his first body, from before the deal with Girl with Moonlight Skin. He then turned around…

Standing in front of him was a young girl, with white hair, and in a strange Victorian dress of black velvet, and long with a bonnet on her head.

She looked up at him, and he looked down at her.

"You look really sad, mister."

She was very perceptive, even for a Heroic Spirit. "I suppose I am, Nursery Rhyme. In all honesty, I cannot remember when I felt any other way."

She looked up at him with wide eyes that were at once innocent and sad. "You want to talk about it.

"I have committed… unspeakable atrocities over the centuries. Entire blood lines and cities…. Erased. I have caused endless pain and suffering."

"Why? What was it that you wanted?"

"Because I thought it was necessary. What I wanted… was to reignite hope. I wanted to be defeated, so that the world could remember that it had, and still has, the potential to create heroes."

"Did you succeed, mister?"

He looked down at the girl, even as he felt his memories and other selves begin to fade away to mist in the forest. "… I hope so."

She smiled and held out her hand. "If that's the case, then, do you want to explore?"

The man could not remember who he was, or who he had been, but he still took her hand. "Of course."

It was a very pretty forest.

Pretty, and peaceful...

* * *

With a sigh, the strange girl named Alice slammed the book in her hands shut.

They had won.

The boy in Rin's arms suddenly coughed and shook, and slowly opened his amber eyes. They were partially filmy and unfocused, before they then settled on the Tohsaka heiress. Then, with a sudden speed and strength, his skeletal arm latched onto her shoulder.

"Is… it… _over_?"

Not know what else to say, Rin and Sakura nodded, and the former gently held his trembling hand in her own. "Yeah. It is. After ten years, you're free, Shirou."

"No… I'm… not. A… portion of… my soul… I had to split it off… to… remain… here… It… will… not… be… long…."

His mouth attempted to move into a smile. "I… wish that… I could have known…. You all… we could have…. Been friends… Th-thank you… Rin."

"Come on, don't talk like that, Shirou, you're going to be fine. Just fine. We'll save you. We promise. We'll save you!" She was not sure who she was trying to convince at this point.

Suddenly, the Grail, which had been silent all this time, began to spasm, and let out an ungodly and unearthly shriek.

All around them, the black corona continued to swirl around and from the corrupted Grail. From it spring those hateful and terrible words.

The starting penalty is five. Life penalty, body penalty, freedom penalty, fame penalty, fortune penalty. Give the penalty that extends so much punishment, mud, darkness, and malice. "Elimination of human rights by castration, exile, execution" "Torture and sadism upon the body through digestion" "Denial by consensus of the colony that eliminates all honor"

die

"Scorn from the judgment and selfishness that takes away men's fortunes." death penalty penal servitude imprisonment custody fine penalty, crime from a grudge, crime from self-interest, unconscious crime, self-conscious crime, civil war, inducement, false statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, bombing, violation, negligent homicide, mass violence, death at work, overconfident accident,

die

misdiagnosis, concealment, violation for benefit, violation for self-protection, violation for love, violation for respect, selfish █████. Stealing fraudulent fraud concealment murder theft crime crime personal grudge attack attack attack attack dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone for everything "This world is ruled by something not human" Know the conscience to reform crimes.

die

die

die

Know the penalty to reform crimes. People's kindness is here. There is so much it cannot be noticed. Know the violence to hide crimes. Know the power to hide crimes. People's malignance is here. It is so rare that it is noticed. A hundred kindnesses and one malignance. Malignance shines bright to keep the balance and exists as a great "evil" to compete with the masses of kindness. The starting penalty is five

die

die

die

die

die

die

█ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self █ █ for self inducement, false statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, infringement, dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone atone atone with death!

Shirou's weak eyes focused on the Grail. "This… is the something… that I… had to… do… to stop this… Goodbye."

"No. We have to save you!"

"You... already... did."

Before her and Sakura and Flat's very eyes, the boy once known as Shirou breathed for the last time, and then slowly disintegrated into dust.

The dust then swirled in the air, and shot straight into the Grail, enveloping it in a soft blue glow.

A sudden and great blast of white energy suddenly burst out from the floating orb and enveloped the entire city.

Then, to Rin, everything went black...

* * *

Kirei held the metal arm in his hand as it, along with its now slain owner, began to disintegrate.

They had won.

It seemed that God was merciful.

It was nice to feel victory. From the waist down, he could not feel anything else.

"You're dying, Overseer."

"Yes, I am."

"Where is the Lady Magus?"

"She is probably in a new body by now."

At that, Kirei looked up.

Archer's body was a pure horror of blood and bone. Almost the entirety of his right side was gone, blasted and sheared off by his own attack.

Somehow, he had not returned to the Throne just yet, and he slowly slumped down beside the dying priest.

"So, this is how our story ends," the Archer said.

"It would seem so, Archer," Kirei replied, as blood ran down his chin.

Archer's remaining eye looked at the dying priest. "It's funny, but, from the moment I saw you, I could tell that you were not a good person, Kirei Kotomine."

"And your instincts were correct, Son of Indra. I am probably the farthest thing from a good person on this World."

They said nothing more, for a bit, as they both continued to slowly die

"Where do you think villains like us go when we pass on?" the Son of Indra asked.

"I don't know. Despite being a priest, I don't think that I ever actually believed that the souls of the deceased go anywhere after we die. Though, if there is a hell, then it is doubtless any worse than this life."

"Perhaps…. You know, it is rather amusing."

"What is?"

"My entire life, I strove to be a hero. To be the shining paragon that everyone thought me to be me. But, no matter how many 'good' deeds I did, no matter how many feats I accomplished… I never felt at peace, until this night, when I embraced who I actually was, and killed the Buddha."

Kirei processed that for a moment, and then laughed, alongside the Son of Indra. They both laughed long and hard, with bloody tears running down their cheeks. "You are right. That is very hilarious. Thank you."

They kept laughing, until Archer finally faded away in a shower of blue dust.

He still kept laughing, even though it was getting harder to keep his eyes open.

Then, the sound of footsteps cut through his laugher….

* * *

 _1963_

The magus looked over the preparations he had set up one last time, as well as his ingredient; a freshly-dead corpse with an intricate transmutation circle on its stomach.

He waited for something to happen.

 _Why have you summoned me, and drawn my attentions to this timeline, magus?_

In that instant, he dared not to breathe; it had actually worked. It was here.

He then felt, rather than saw, a hand as it grabbed him by his throat, and lift him a clear off the ground.

 _I am not in the habit of repeating myself, magus. I accepted your summons on a whim, and the vessel you have anchored me into will last but an hour. So, **speak.**_

"I-I require your help."

 _What with?_

"Reaching the end, so that the Root may become open."

 _Why do you require my assistance for such an endeavor, little magus?_

"Because, during my research, I came to the conclusion that the only way to survive such an endeavor is to…"

 _'Ascend to the ranks of the those whose First Sire came from the Moon.' Is that correct, little magus?_

"Yes, it is."

 _Then why should I help you at all?_

"Because... maybe my research can help you as well!"

The corpse raised an eyebrow at him. _Explain._

"From what I can deduce of you, the reason you burn through your hosts so quickly is your accumulated mystery and time. You speed up the time of your hosts. So, wht if we found away for you to stop the time of your host bodies? You would finally have a permanent host, Great one."

It looked at him for a long moment, and he became afraid that he had failed. Then, it spoke. _Interesting. Very well. I shall help you, magus. However, there will be a price._

"I am willing to pay whatever it takes."

 _I am sure. Then know this... you will know my price when the time comes, Norikata Emiya. Until then, await me at Alimango Island. You will be safe there..._

* * *

 _Bad (True) Epilogue part 1_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

* * *

 _Normal Ending_

The worst part of it all was the waiting.

Well, that, and the chains that were secured around their wrists and ankles.

Soon after the destruction of Fuyuki City, the world had begun to change.

Rin gave a dark chuckle. "So, this is how we're going to be rewarded for saving the world… execution for the crime of exposing magecraft to the world. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or just throw up."

"Stop complaining, Tohsaka," Waver Velvet said, as he awkwardly tapped the stumps of his legs together. "At best, they're just going to execute me, if only to piss off my two employers, unless those two demons feel bothered enough to intervene. I've been an annoyance to the Association for years. They won't waste this chance. As for you two… they'll probably just slap you both with a sealing designation, lock you in a dark cell, and destroy the key."

"Gee, that's very comforting. Any more optimistic predictions?"

"Yeah, if they do decide to kill all three of us, then it will at least be quick."

"Forget I asked."

Flat, who had been silent for three days, then looked up, blinked, and spoke. "I'm not worried."

"Why? Do you have some master plan to get us out of al of this?"

"No. I's just savoring the fact that the world is still here, ya know?"

Waver and Rin looked at him like he was insane. He shrugged, and continued. "It's weird though, as it feels like this was… worth it. I know that we're going to probably die and all, but...We saved the world. We made sure that it will still be here for longer than a day. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, aren't we all just… rather insignificant?"

Rin sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right."

The door of their cell then rattled open.

Their deaths, luckily, were swift.

* * *

 _"True (non-Canon)" Epilogue, ten years later_

It was a lovely day, as Rin Tohsaka walked out on the front porch of her house. It was a lovely late afternoon.

A nice, quiet day.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the second floor of the mansion, and black smoke began to filter out.

Ugh, not again.

Feeling the advent of another migraine, she turned back and yelled. "Flat! You idiot! What did you do now!?"

She looked down at her child, and a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes looked right back up at her. "Don't be mad at daddy."

She sighed, and patted the little girl on the head. "Don't worry. I'm not mad, sweetie, just ticked off."

As her child giggled, Rin then found herself remembereing the events of that night, of the end of the war...

* * *

 _When she awoke, the city was, back to normal._

 _A strange dust then began to coalesce before them. Warily, Shiki readied a knife drawn from within the folds of her kimono._

 _It was the Nameless Beast, but… something was different._

 _It then spoke. "We are a copy, made from the last dregs of the boy once known as Shirou, and the thing he was forced to become. We thank you, for defeating us, for defeating SORROW. You have saved your world and timeline in more ways than you could possibly know."_

 _It looked at the sisters with its strange eyes. "There is a part of the Nameless Beast, the one known as the Lonely Hero, who knew you two in another life. He loved you both, and, in those lives, you each loved him. Perhaps, if things had been different, you could have loved the boy who now will never be him…"_

 _"Can you bring him back?" Sakura interjected. "Can you bring back Shirou?"_

 _It shook its head. "We cannot. We can do almost anything, but we can't change the past, or bring back the dead to life from the beyond."_

 _"Then why are you here?"_

 _"We cannot remain on this World. It won't let us. Even as a copy, our power has grown beyond it. SORROW and the boy was all that kept us tethered to Gaia. But now, we are free, or rather, this copy of us, the good parts that were… exercised from the Beast before you imprisoned it, within the forest."_

 _"Where will you go?"_

 _The creature shrugged and then actually smiled, before it then looked up towards the stars. "We don't know. Perhaps to some far off, new World. Perhaps we wiil pick a star and go to it. Maybe we will create new life. But wherever we go, we will bring with us the hope of tomorrow, the hope that you gave back to us. So, thank you, for everything, Rin, Sakura, Flat."_

 _It's expression then grew somber again. "However, I will warn you. That book will not be able to contain the Nameless Beast forever. Somehow, someday, it will get free. If not in this World and timeline, then, perhaps, in some other World, some other time, and in some other form. Please. Be wary."_

 _At that, it faded away into stardust, and sped off into the sky. As it did, they all heard the Nameless thing speak, one last time. "Regardless, remember to make a wish, and have hope."_

* * *

When the pulse from the Grail had hit them, they had all been given a gift.

It had not just been a connection to the Root that had been a result, but, also, something else…. An understanding of the connections between everything.

It had been beautiful, that split second. It was hopeful, and wonderful.

After that, when the dust of Fuyuki had finally settled, the Association had still descended upon them all like wrathful hawks, only to be deterred by not only the Lady Blue, who was somehow still alive and unscathed, but also the large, three-headed dragon (Rider) who was, to this day, passionately loyal to Sakura.

With that, the Association had just… left them all alone.

Despite the death of their Master, the Einzberns had not bothered them. Rumor was that the once great family had to degrade in solitude.

As for Kirei... his body was never found.

As the years passed, Fuyuki was eventually rebuilt, and things settled down.

As they did, Run and Flat had grown closer, and, eventually, they joined.

Nine-months later, their twins had been born.

Rin shook her head as her daughter ran back into the house, and pulled out Flat. He was covered in soot from head to toe.

What an idiot.

In the field, Rider, still a dragon after ten years, softly dozed, while, inside, Sakura was busy putting out the flames with an extinguisher.

Waver Velvet was still travelling around the world, at the behest of his unknown masters, as was the Lady Blue, the girl with the deathly eyes, and the strange girl with the impassive face.

But, none of that was important.

With a chuckling sigh, Rin looked towards the horizon, as the sun began to set.

Soon, it would be night, and then, the next day would come.

Tomorrow would come, and with it, another chance for hope….

* * *

 **A/N So, that is the end of Fate/ Distortion. Sorry about the late update, but, like I've said before, real life stuff.**

 **I am also sorry if this chapter is terrible, or if it makes little sense. I have tried.**

 **I will still be writing the prequel to this, along with the other two routes, when I can. I am just not sure whether to continue this document or start a new one. Let me know what you think.**

 **Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 **P.S., if you have nothing kind to say, then don't even bother.**

Caster: Nursery Rhyme

Master: Alice Kuonji

 **STATS**

STR: E

END: E

AGI: C

MAN: A+

LCK: A

N.P.: EX

 **Class Skill**

Territory Creation: A

 **Personal Skills**

Self-Modification: A

Shapeshift: A+

Meanwhile…:A

 **Noble Phantasm**

Nursery Rhyme: EX

* * *

 **A strange taste of what is not to come….**

As Kirei lay dying, he suddenly heard strong footsteps cut through his laughter.

He listened as they got closer and managed to slowly look up. He looked up, and, to his shock, he saw a face that he had not expected to ever see again.

The last time he had seen this person, it had been ten years ago.

The figure looked down at the priest, and chuckled, as he crouched down in front of the twisted man.

"Oh Kirei," the Assassin of the Fourth Holy Grail War said. "Look at what has become of you, my old friend and Master."

* * *

 **A/N: Made some changes to the classifications of the endings. The Monster winning is the True one.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey Guys. Thanks for all your likes, follows, and reviews. Stay tuned for the prequel, Fate/ Null**


	15. Chapter 15

Fate/ Null Chapter 1: Iron, Silver and Steel

 _1985_

Kiritsugu worked on his arm, while his missing one ached, his other limbs worked and ached quietly and his wife gave birth.

Outside, it was snowing.

The prosthetic arm was a strange work of art. It was crafted from the purest of iron, and steel, and engraved all over with tiny little runes. Its exterior was smooth, almost fluid in appearance, and felt as light as his own flesh. It even fit just firmly enough that it did not punch at his stump.

Though, after so long, he had a bit a trouble remembering how that had actually felt.

Best of all, he could even still _feel_ through the arm, whether it was hot, cold, soft, smooth, rough, sharp, etc… though, compared to real flesh, it was still somewhat numb.

It seemed to grow just a bit more numb every day…

The limb had been a gift from his employers, this family of white hair and red eyes and ancient, arcane traditions. An advance payment, to replace the bulkier model that he had been using in the past.

It was a lovely arm. A work of art.

Much better than his other limbs.

He did not look up, even as his wife cried out in pain from the pain of childbirth.

It had been over a day, now, since the labor had begun, and yet, he could not find it within himself to be at her side as she gave birth.

But, that was fine. Monsters like him did not deserve to witness such a miracle, after all.

His hand bean to spasm a bit, and he reached for the breathing mask, and inhaled, letting the sensation of its contents enter his lungs.

So, while his wife gave birth, he simply busied himself by working on his perfect, cold arm. Besides, it was not like he slept much, any more.

 _…. "How amusing."_

With a sigh at the memory, he set down the screwdriver and then reattached his metal limb with a grunt and a twist of his gloved hand. As he stood, he idly withdrew a silver American dollar from his pocket that he always carried with him, and let it dance through his metal hand's fingers.

Good, this prosthetic showed no signs of degradation as of yet.

As he flicked the coin around, a maid, with skin and hair as white as snow, entered the chapel room. "It is done, Mister Emiya. It is a girl."

With that test finished, he turned and followed the homunculus maid towards his wife.

Iri lay in the grand bed, sweat dotting her beautiful form, and she was no doubt tired from the exertion. Yet, on her face was a serene and radiant smile as she first gazed at him, and then down at the sleeping infant that was swaddled in her arms.

"She is just so adorable. Look, she even has your eyes."

For a moment, he did not move, and just stood, staring at her, and her child.

She knew what he was, what he had done, and the sins that comprised his being. She had known for a very long time now. She knew that he was a monster.

Yet, Iri did not care, and she loved him with all her heart.

Why?

It still did not make any sense to him.

"What's wrong?"

Her voice reawakened him from his musings, and he looked her right in the eye. "Iri… why are you not afraid?

"Afraid?"

"Yes… afraid of me."

Her face grew confused. "Why on earth would I be afraid of you, my husband?"

He clenched his fists of metal and flesh. "Because, I am destined to be the cause of your death. Because, I am not worthy to hold that child in these monstrous hands. I do not deserve such a privilege."

At that, her face grew somber for a moment, and he watched as her scarlet eyes looked downwards towards his right gloved fist, under which they both knew the three Scarlet symbols were engraved. Symbols which matched the ones on her own right hand.

She looked upon the infant in her arms, and then back at him, that serene smile once more on her face. "Don't be like that. Besides, don't forget that what you are striving for is a world that is safe and pure. A grand new world, where no one is made to cry anymore. The hope for that world, it is what your whole life has been defined by. Eight more years until you can finally grasp it in those hands of yours, and your struggle will finally be over. It is what makes you the man that I love, not a monster.

"As such, you more than deserve to hold your own child. So please, take our child, Illyasviel, and hold her close. Hold her, and be proud, as any father deserves to be."

Kiritsugu sighed. He did not smile, but he knew that she could tell, by the softening of his eyes, that she had convinced him.

He then approached the bedside. His limbs slightly trembling, Kiritsugu took his newborn daughter into his arms of cold metal and warm flesh.

He looked down upon her. Physically, she was perfect. Such a tiny little bundle of new life and soft flesh, borne of love and pain, like all infants of the world.

If, in eight years, everything went according to their plans and hopes, and she was allowed to live a long and full life… then, when she grew up, would she be fated to become a monster, like him?

He looked back at Iri, who still had that beautiful smile of hers. "Eight more years, until you can achieve our ideal world, through the Salvation that is the Holy Grail…."

xxxxxxxx

 **A/N A quick litter teaser for the prequel to Fate/ Distortion, and its future parts. As you can tell by the fact that there is something not... right about him, this version of Kiritsugu has been through a HELL of a lot more in his life.**


	16. A conversation with death

Fate Distortion Canon epilogue

The nameless beast opened its stolen eyes.

It was lying… on nothing. All around, there was nothing.

Except… except for a door.

Why was a door here? It was a plain sort of door, not built in any particular style.

The Nameless Beast slowly stood up but had no desire to exmine the door anymore.

It remembered what it had done.

It had succeeded. Was this the result?

"Yep, it is."

The voice was soft, femine… friendly.

The Nameless beast tunred around.

A person was standing before the beast, in the void, and she had not been there before.

She was of an average build, with skin whiter than snow that covered bones, and hair darker than the space between stars. Around her left eye was a tattoo, which resembled a horizontal tear drop. Her clothes were black, and simple.

Her face seemed kind, if a bit sad.

The nameless Beast did not ask who the girl was. It knew. It had caught glimpse of her in the past.

She looked at it, and gave a sad smile. "Hello, Souren."

"That is no longer my name. I don't have one, anymore."

"I know. You threw it away, like so many other things, all I nthe name of your quest."

She looked around. "Impressive, I will admit. Even among my siblings and I, we never truly thought anyone would actually be able to do it. We all thought that everything would go on for a few more trillion years, at least, but you… you proved us wrong. You ended it all. Even my brother was surprised."

"Are you angry with me, Endless one, for what I did?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm never really angry. Annoyed, sometimes, but not angry. I can understand why you did it. You just did not want anyone to suffer anymore."

"That is all I have ever wanted, Lady Death."

She sighed again and stretched. "Yep."

The silent moment stretched on for what seemed an eon. "So, what is to happen now?"

She cracked her knuckles, an odd sound in the void. "Well, first you take my hand, and then, after that, I leave through that door."

It looked at her, and then at the door. It then understood. "It would never have lasted, would it?"

"No. Eventually, something new will come along. It always does."

"More suffering, more of the agony that is existence."

"Sure, if you want to look at it that way. Me, I prefer to think of it as a chance for something new and exciting. I will say, that, everytime, things get a _tiny_ bit better."

"I see… and that gives you… hope?"

"It does."

It shook its stolen head in pity. "Such a burden to bear. I pity you. Truly, you are deserving of the title of Endless."

Oddly enough, that made her burst out laughing. "You are a strange one. I can't recall any instance when someone actually felt pity for me. For that, I think I have to thank you."

The beast nodded, looked at the door one more time, and then sighed. There was nothing more to say, except for one thing. "I am ready."

She smiled one last time, full of warmth and pity and understanding. "Then take my hand."

The Nameless Beast looked upon the extend hand for a long moment, and then took it.

The last thing it heard was the sound of mighty wings…..

* * *

As the pitying sould vanished, Death looked around at the void. Depsite herself, she felt something wet and warm slide down her cheek.

She wiped at her eyes, sniffled, and, for a bit, the void was filled with the sounds of Death weeping.

After a few spans of uncounted, nonexistent time, she dired her eyes, and then set her hadn upon the door knob.

The metal felt warm, and welcoming.

She looked once more at the void, filled with nothing, not even memories. A part of her wished that she didn't have to go. Even Death could be afraid, at times. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath, and the let loose one last, radiant smile. "Well, time to see what comes next."

She opened the door, and walked through it….

 **A/N: This little scene came to me out of the blue, and I just had to add it to the story. It just made sense. Yes, the Nameless Beast winning and destroying all of existence is actually the 'True' and 'canon' ending of Fate Distortion. As to why? Well, sometimes… the heroes lose. Glad you all enjoyed this. Please disregard the "Happy." It is not canon any more.**

 **Thanks again to all thos who have enjoyed it, and please, check out Fate Ragnarok.**


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone. Decided to make fate fairy tale a separate story, with a host of other changes, including the stories.


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